Cricket: Farsley continued their great start to the season with a 76-run home win over last season's Second Division champions Cleckheaton in a match reduced to 40 overs.

In a wet start to the season which has frustrated many clubs, Farsley stand on top of the First Division with the only 100 per cent record after the first two matches.

They owed this latest triumph to young spinners Matthew Barnes and Andrew Doidge, who took eight wickets between them as Cleckheaton collapsed from 79 for none to 109 all out.

Skipper Chris Pickles and Carl Sharp had given Cleckheaton a fine start as they chased Farsley's 185 for nine, but they then lost six wickets for seven runs and the innings was in tatters at 86 for six.

Barnes took five for 18 in 10.3 overs while Doidge had three for 41 in 11.

Farsley's top scorer was opener Richard Gould with 52 and he was ably supported by Doidge (39) and Barnes (30).

Newly promoted Brighouse beat their promotion companions Bankfoot by five wickets.

Bankfoot were indebted to a third wicket stand of 72 between Adrian Fitzpatrick (59) and Nicky Gomersall (43) in a modest total of 138 for seven in their 50 overs.

Brighouse also found runs hard to come by, but opener Graeme Higgins held the innings together with 70 and they won with 2.1 overs to spare.

The third side to win in the First Division were Hanging Heaton, who beat Windhill by six wickets.

They owed much to two of their new signings, off spinner David Nebard from Batley and Australian opener Danny Payne, signed from Kirkheaton.

Nebard took six for 46 in 16.3 overs as Windhill were bowled out for 133 and Payne was top scorer with 70 not out as Hanging Heaton reached their target with seven overs to spare.

Windhill had the encouragement of a first wicket stand of 54, but were always struggling after losing four wickets for four runs.

Defending champions Bradford & Bingley gained their second four point draw in a row in a 27 overs match at Pudsey Congs.

Bingley spectacularly made up for lost time with opener Gareth Batty scoring 26 off the first over bowled by Gary Severn. He hit his first three balls for six and hit another six before the end of the over.

He eventually made 55 as Bingley reached 166 for six, but Congs settled for a draw at 75 for five.

There was no play at Baildon, Spen Victoria and Yorkshire Bank.

Four of the Second Division matches were abandoned without a ball being bowled, but there were wins for Yeadon at Drighlington and Great Horton at Salts, while Manningham Mills took four points from a drawn match against new club Esholt who finished seven runs short with two wickets left. Victory represented a great start for Great Horton who finished bottom of the table last season with only two wins.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.