Bradford duo see good start to year go on in Craven League

Gargrave are on 69 points, but only three points behind are the Westfield Laners, who won a decent contest at newly-promoted Bradley.

Alex Robinson took 3-38 out of 177-8 after the visitors won the toss and sent Bradley in.

Hepworth & Idle’s nerves, if they had any, were soothed by an opening partnership of 82 between Tom Hawksworth (46) and Nigel Poustie (31).

Jonny Thompson (40) then added 48 for the third wicket with Poustie as the visitors won, but by only two wickets in the 42nd over.

Haworth Road Meths are third on 52 points and were not so severely tested by Glusburn at Baildon Bottom.

The visitors won the toss but could only score 122 as Shahid Saleem (3-30) and Mansha Khan (3-16), the fifth and sixth bowlers used by Meths, cashed in.

Opening batters Fahim Khan (30) and Asad Rashid (52 not out) set the tone in the reply, and Mansha Khan helped to finish things off with an unbeaten 27, as the target was passed for the loss of two wickets in the 33rd over.

Eldwick & Gilstead put a bit of breathing space between bottom two Wilsden and Haworth and themselves by defeating the latter in a low-scoring encounter at West Lane.

The twin villages, sent in, made 119, which was not as many as seemed likely when openers Matthew Sharp (31) and Deependra Rathore (35) added 56 for the first wicket.

Haworth also had a half-century stand, but little else as they were toppled for 92 by Sunil Yadav (4-35), Sharp (2-18) and stand-in captain Jordan Bayliss (2-14).

Wilsden, who have 26 points, two ahead of Haworth, were unfortunate to run into a Riddlesden side who have regained some of their confidence, making 223-7 at Grange Road after being sent in.

Owen Pacey (2-23), Sam Mitchell (2-62) and Chris Longley (2-64) shared the wickets, and the latter then made 67 opening the batting.

New signing Majid Jahangir scored 54 off 50 balls, adding 98 with Longley for the fifth wicket, but Wilsden could only make 163 to lose by 60 runs.

Bowling Baptist are well placed for a second successive promotion, lying second in Division Two, just three points behind Silsden.

Hepworth & Idle II, who have gone from challenging near the top last season to being bottom this season, won the toss at Westfield Lane, but could only score 95, No.8 Swaraj Thakur easily being the best of four players in double figures with 41.

Sohail Khan (4-28) and Muhammad Zulfiqar Khan (3-16) did most of the damage, and then watched their Bowling team-mates win by nine wickets inside 20 overs.

Opener Shahbaz Ishaq finished on 53 not out off 54 balls, including nine fours.

Bingley Congs III had an afternoon to forget at Gargrave II, who dismissed them for 24 at Skipton Road after winning the toss.

Shahid Mahmood top scored for Congs with nine, six team-mates making ducks in their dreadful innings.

Gargrave lost three wickets in passing that total, Tom Storr being the only player into double figures in the match with 10 as Mahmood took 3-10.

Tom Storr (foreground) made 10 in his side's unusual winning total of 25-3. (Image: Richard Leach.)

If that Congs collapse was eye-catching from 19-4, it was bettered by Bradford & Bingley III at Sandy Lane.

They lost their last six wickets for ONE run as they stuttered from 81-4 to 82 all out against Keighley III, who had earlier scored 121 after winning the toss, Farhan Khalid taking 3-18 in 10 overs and Shahbaz Ahmed 5-34 in 12.

Ahmed then scored 40 out of 68, as Bingley got off to a decent start, only for them to completely crumble in sight of the finish line.

Wilsden II are bottom after feeling the weight of Sutton’s junior talent.

The visitors made 190-4, 17-year-old Oliver Humphreys taking 2-22, before Wilsden went from 97-2 to 135 all out, despite 50 from opener Tanveer Hussain.

In Division Four, Hepworth & Idle III had to concede to Skipton CI II as Idle Upper Chapel’s ground was double booked, dropping them from top to third, while Bowling Baptists II are seventh after a 95-run home defeat to Bradley II, who are now second.