CRAVEN League action at the top of Division One seems to be producing a key game every week as the title race continues to unfold in tantalising style.

Tomorrow the focus switches from recent leaders Oakworth to defending champions Embsay, who entertain third-placed Thornton at Shires Lane. Oakworth will be firm favourites at home to Sutton, although after the trauma of last weekend, the Cure Hill men will be taking nothing for granted.

Just when it seemed that the league leaders had the measure of the challenge, up jumped Long Lee and Jamie Robinson to knock them off top spot and to add to the nightmare, a depleted Haworth then pipped them in a tremendous Wynn Cup final the following day.

Despite three successive wins against title rivals, Oakworth were expecting another very serious test at Golden View and the Keighley side did not disappoint. Invited to bat when the home side won the toss, Oakworth were soon exposed to a fine, hostile spell of pace bowling from Jamie Robinson. With a pre-match shower freshening the wicket, the former Bradford League man obtained plenty of lift and harried all the Oakworth batsmen to finish with a fine 8-55 from 19 fiery overs.

Paul Wilkinson laid the foundation for Long Lee's winning reply with a solid 31 before he was trapped lbw by Kevin Hird, but when the scored slumped to 59-5 with skipper Chris Taylor forced to retire with a damaged elbow, Oakworth were very much in contention.

At that point Long Lee found a hero in Alan Coney, who responded to the situation in typically robust style to collect 35 priceless runs and take his side to the brink of victory. A brace of sixes by Robinson also helped hurry things along when spinner Jeff Inman was cutting the run rate to a trickle.

While the leaders were being thwarted, champions Embsay were slipping into top spot with an 85-run win at Bradley. Ed Tiffany led the way with the bat, collecting 48 of Embsay's 156-9 total, Tim Rudden (5-74) and Mick Hall (4-72) bowling through. Lacking a handful of first-team regulars, Bradley were never in contention against the bowling of Zufur Iqbal (6-48) and Stephen Speak (3-21) and they were dismissed for 71.

Thornton stayed just two points off the pace with a home win over Carleton, but they had to work hard for the success. Steve Carling (64) and Ian Bell (51no) were the key figures in Carleton's respectable 160 total, achieved despite a splendid 7-24 return by Brian Laycock. Laycock then completed an excellent day's work when he hit 54no to help the home side to victory by two wickets, Ian Clarkson (38) helping to give some substance to the early order.

Haworth put themselves in the right frame of mind for their Wynn Cup challenge with a 30-run win at Pendle Forest, although their 104-9 total was hardly daunting. When the visiting bowlers swung into action, however, wickets fell steadily, five bowlers all claiming victims as the home side were put out for 74. Adrian Ratcliffe (53) was top scorer for Haworth.

Nick Williamson was the Skipton CI hero in their rout of struggling Sutton. He hit 29 of his side's 99 tally as David Holdsworth (5-33) did the damage and then claimed 6-20 as Sutton collapsed to 47 all out.

Can Cowling escape the drop? That has become as interesting a question as the destiny of the Division One title after Steve Mitchell (55no) produced another good knock to help his side to an eight-wicket win over fellow-strugglers Barrowford. The Bull Holme side were dismissed for just 92.

Jason Bilbrough took his tally of wickets for the season so far to 70 with a 7-12 haul against Cononley to keep Haworth West in the Division Two driving seat. He had six maidens in his 10.5 over blitz which left ten-man Cononley all out for 56 and West End with a ten-wicket win.

Second placed Ingrow St Johns had an even more comfortable passage when they routed Jimmy Nelson's at Morton. Colin Bottomley (4-10) and Anthony Haigh (4-17) shot the visitors out for 29 and the home side knocked off the winning runs for the loss of one wicket.

Denholme held onto third place with a seven-wicket win at Keighley Tech, the home side falling for 96, while Foulridge also enjoyed an emphatic win when Tom Stephenson (8-44) helped to dismiss visitors Chatburn for 121 and John Lickess (49) anchored their victory push.

Glusburn's 186-9 proved ample at Barnoldswick, Brian Hollis (5-38 from 18 overs) helping to dismiss the home side for 87, while Ray Jones turned in a fine all-round display, scoring 48 and taking 5-44, only to be on the losing side at Gargrave, where visitors Airedale bowled them out for 69 after reaching 124-7 themselves.

The first league title was decided in Division Three when leaders Embsay claimed the championship with a nine-wicket win over second-placed Bradley.

The visitors made 105-7 as Ian Robson finished with 5-47, but Mark Tucker (55no) and Andy Bell (34no) steered the leaders to a nine-wicket victory and the title.

Thornton stayed in third place despite losing by 28 runs at Chatburn, the home side's 193-9 tally proving beyond the visitors, while at Glusburn the action was much tighter as the home side fell two runs short of the visitors' 164-8 total, the last two wickets falling on 162.

Oakworth scored an impressive 214-8 at home to Long Lee, Drew Duffy (49), John Duffy (42) and Brian Pennington (40) getting the bulk of the runs before David Preston (44), Martin Stables (35) and 15-year-old Simon Doane (26) took the visitors to 180-8 at the close.

Martin Vickerman (53no) led Pendle Forest to 135 at Haworth as David Walsh finished with 5-45, but it wasn't enough as Colin Williamson (54) and Glen Ogden (36) carried the home side to an eight-wicket win.

Cowling Seconds completed a double for the club to reclaim top spot in Division Four when they beat leaders Pendle Forest. Steve Dalby (45), Nick Riding (44) and Donald Moore (33) took the home side to 186-8, with only Peter Hakin (51no) making real headway as the visitors fell for 99.

Haworth West End leap-frogged into second place when they bowled Cononley out for 87 and won by six wickets, while Denholme stayed in the promotion hunt when they amassed 188-5 at home to Keighley Tech and then bowled out the ten-man visitors for 82.

Matthew Lutz (3-37) and 42no was the key man in Foulridge's seven-wicket win at Carleton, where the visitors were put out for 133, while Gargrave's total of 88 was not enough against Airedale, who got home by six wickets after losing their first four wickets for 19.