Champions Woodlands strengthened their position at the top of JCT600 Bradford League Division One after beating Manningham Mills by four wickets in a low-scoring game today.

Skipper Pieter Swanepoel took 4-57, spinner Chris Brice 3-12 and teenage seamer Scott Richardson 3-27 as second-placed Mills were dismissed for 133.

Woodlands struggled in reply as Farhan Khan took 3-44, but Usman Salim (33no) steered them to their modest target.

The leaders are 13 points clear of Cleckheaton, who moved up to second with a maximum haul of 20 points from a 118-run win at East Bierley.

Openers Tim Jackson (82) and skipper John Wood (31) provided their side with a sound start before James Lee (56no) and Richard Whitehurst (48) provided some late fireworks with a seventh-wicket stand of 72 off just 47 balls, which catapulted Cleckheaton to 269-6.

Skipper Kez Ahmed took 4-49 for East Bierley, who were bowled out for 151 in reply as Lee rounded off a good individual display with 3-21.

Off-spinner Chris Marsden took 5-20 and overseas fast bowler Richard Muzhange (4-62) as Pudsey St Lawrence defeated their close rivals Pudsey Congs in the town derby by 64 runs.

Only Eugene Burzler, with a defiant 79 not out, made an impression for Congs as they were dismissed for 153 in reply to St Lawrence’s 217-8.

Earlier Burzler had taken 6-64 but good knocks from skipper Mark Robertshaw (74) and James Smith (48) put St Lawrence into a match-winning position.

The highest individual score of the day was made by Bradford & Bingley’s Alex Atkinson. He made an unbeaten 147 as his side defeated Hanging Heaton by 116 runs.

Atkinson, who hit six sixes and 15 fours, helped his side post a daunting total of 330-5 and he was joined in a fourth-wicket stand of 143 by David Clow (61).

Hanging Heaton, despite 75 from James Stansfield and 49 from Montcin Hodge, were dismissed for 214 as off-spinner Harry Smallwood picked up his season’s best figures of 5-50.

Saltaire returned to the bottom after a three-wicket defeat against Morley, who started the day propping up the table. James McNichol (54) and Adam Larkin (54no) guided Morley to a victory that lifts them out of the bottom two.

Adrian Monk (51) and Khuram Shahzad (43) top-scored in Saltaire’s 174.

Suleman Khan made an unbeaten 70 and took 6-44 as Lightcliffe defeated Baildon by 99 runs. Alex Stead made 89 not out in Lightcliffe’s 270-4.