Skipper John Wood was highly critical of some umpiring decisions and his own team’s batting as Cleckheaton missed the chance of keeping the pressure on JCT600 Bradford League leaders Woodlands by losing at home to Lightcliffe.

Cleckheaton remain second in Division One but are now 25 points behind the defending champions.

Wood said: “I am very frustrated at how we batted and the standard of umpiring. We had two run outs not given - one six feet out and the other four feet - and then Iain Wardlaw dived in past his stumps when we had a good chance of winning, but was given run out. It was an absolute disgrace.

“That said, our top six batsmen all got themselves out stupidly so there are no complaints. It was a game we should have won easily, so we have only got ourselves to blame, but four umpiring decisions contributed to us losing.”

At the tea interval, it looked as if the Lightcliffe total of 211-9 was up to 30 runs short, but they bowled out Cleckheaton for 190 to complete a 21-run win, and a delighted skipper Jonathan Wilson said: “We have lost a couple of close games so to beat Cleckheaton is good and it sets up for the rest of the season.”

The visitors appeared to be in a strong position at 126-3 after they recovered from losing the normally free-scoring Charlie Roebuck and Josh Wheatley cheaply, but Alex Stead and David Hester began the recovery with a third-wicket stand of 51.

Hester’s dismissal brought Oliver Robinson to the wicket and he played the best innings of the match, taking part in two sizeable stands.

The first was of 58 with Alex Stead before Stead was run out for 41 with a direct throw from Joe Robinson at 126.

Then, after Suleman Khan was brilliantly caught with a diving catch at mid-off off by Tim Jackson off spinner Andrew Deegan one run later, he and skipper Jonathan Wilson picked up the momentum with a sixth-wicket stand of 71.

Lightcliffe appeared to be course for a total approaching 230 with Robinson batting well, but, after striking Deegan over mid-on for six, he came down the wicket next ball attempting another big hit and was bowled for 90, and once he was out the innings subsided quickly with three wickets falling for five runs.

Cleckheaton lost skipper Wood at seven, but Jackson and Mahmood kept them on course with a second-wicket stand of 66 before Mahmood was bowled by off-spinner Josh Wheatley.

Top-scorer Jackson followed 14 runs later for 41 to the first of two fine catches at deep long-on by Wilson off Suleman Khan, whose accurate slow left-arm bowling earned him 3-33 in 14 overs.

Ian Nicholson followed to an even better catch by Wilson, and the game swung decisively Lightcliffe’s way as the home side suffered two hammer blows in successive overs to leave them on 131-6.

First, Ian Wood was caught in the deep by Roebuck off Wheatley, and in the next over, without addition to the score, new batsman Richard Whitehurst was trapped lbw by Khan - a decision the free-scoring batsman hotly disputed.

Joe Robinson struck some lusty blows in adding 26 with Mal Nicholson, and Yorkshire pace bowler Wardlaw helped Nicholson add a further 24 to give Cleckheaton hope before his disputed run out, the home side losing their last three wickets for nine runs, including Mal Nicholson for 39.