Second Division title race 'will go to the wire'

Only eight points separate the top five clubs and, although Yeadon went back to the top of the table by beating Lightcliffe in their last match, such is the in-consistency of the leading clubs that no one side has been at the top for long.

Leather, who has wide experience of league cricket, notably in Cheshire and Liverpool, where he played for Widnes and Bootle, said: "We are no clearer than we were when the season started.

"All the top six sides have got good players, but we have struggled for consistency and have been bowled out for low scores, and it is Keighley and Gomersal who have been playing well recently while Esholt have match-winners in their side.

"Anyone who can put a good run together can win the title. I think the promotion race is going to go down to the wire with four or five or maybe more teams involved.

"Normally there are a few sides, who struggle whereas this time such as Windhill, Harts-head Moor and Lightcliffe have been beating the top sides. For instance, we were soundly beaten at Windhill."

Like all the players in the league, Leather and his rival Sam Anderson, captain of bottom club Spen Victoria, were left frustrated by Saturday's rain, but both have contrasting ambitions in the second half of the season.

Yeadon will be looking to extend their five-point lead while Spen will be trying to pull away from the bottom - they are currently eight points adrift at the foot of the table after just missing out on promotion last season.

Anderson said: "It is my first season as captain and it has been very difficult. We have got a lot of young players and we are trying to keep them together and build up a team from that. It is difficult when you are losing every week, but the lads are still positive.

"We have got to stick together, keep spirits up and look to claw our way up the table in the second half of the season.

"Unfortunately, we have been on the wrong end of some close games. We lost off the last ball against Gomersal, which set them off on a good run of wins, we had a similar situation against Hartshead Moor and we lost off the next-to-the-last ball against Bankfoot.

"If those games had gone our way, we would be halfway up the table. It is the strongest Second Division I have played in - everyone can beat each other."

Spen lost several players at the end of last season - Matt Taylor and James Russell to Morley, Phil Carter to Esholt, Danny Lloyd to Bankfoot and, recently, their overseas player Adnan Raza has had to return to Pak-istan for a training camp.

Anderson said: "We finished third last season and, although we have had a big turnaround of players, I don't think we were a vastly better team last year. It is just that last year Chris Elstub went on a run himself that lifted the team."