Baxter and Saghir run riot

Opener Baxter hit 153 to help bottom team Blackley to a thumping 150-run home win over Thornton.

However, Saghir’s 143 at Warley proved in vain as the next-to-bottom Northowram Hedge Top lost by one wicket to the second-placed side.

Baxter hit 13 fours and 11 sixes, adding 157 with opener partner Jonathan Stenson to put Thornton on the back foot.

Blackley posted a towering 331 for seven and Chris White (five for 56) had Thornton on the ropes at 42 for six before Andy Shanks (73) and Ross Parr (51) helped the visitors salvage maximum batting points at 181 all out.

Saghir hit 20 fours and six sixes as the Rams scored 271 for nine, number 10 batsman Jordan Byrnes offering most help with 30 not out.

Nolan Bottomley made 50 at the top of the Warley card but his teammates found it harder going until wicketkeeper Matthew Whitworth came in and hit 80.

Saghir was required to bowl more than usual in the absence of Tom Clee and was entrusted with the final over in an exciting contest.

Whitworth became his third victim with the scores level, only for last man John Currie to come in and hit the clinching boundary with two deliveries to spare.

Booth have a three point lead at the top after an emphatic 142-run win at SBCI.

The visitors totalled 274 for eight, thanks mainly to Richard Laycock (71), Steve Senior (68) and Hasnain Wajid (61).

Only Chris Dalby (43) and Jamie Sykes (38 no) made an impression in the hosts’ reply as Usman Saghir picked up four wickets.

Jer Lane remain close up in third after a 31-run win at Copley.

A seventh-wicket stand of 93 between Mick Hustler (72) and Nasir Chowdrey (42 no) proved all important in lifting Lane’s total to 271, after league side boss Andrew Pinfield had made 63.

Mark Baldwin fell two short of a century in reply and there was 63 from Oliver Thorpe but Copley had left themselves with too much to do.

Mytholmroyd made it back-to-back successes with a convincing 143-run win at home to Sowerby St Peter’s, who were bowled out for 87 with Jack Earle backing up his 65 with four wickets.

Triangle lost ground in the title race when they could only manage 174 in reply to visitors Sowerby Bridge’s 282 for eight.

Queensbury’s third wicket pair Tom Watson (110) and Scott Osbourne (109) added 229 to set up an easy Division One win at home to Low Moor.

A candidate for the club’s record stand, it helped ‘bury to 290 for four.

Gurdev Singh took five for 60 as Moor repled with 143, Tom Narey contributing 52.

Oxenhope boosted their title hopes with a two-wicket win at promotion rivals Bridgeholme.

Ollie Challis top scored in the Eastwood side’s below-par 185, Nathan Storton and Scott Mallinson taking nine wickets between them.

Oxenhope were 111 for six in reply before James Bailey (60) and Joe Ousey (36 no) added 51 to pave the way to victory.

Jacob Linsel’s five for 27 helped Old Crossleyans skittle Southowram for 93 and set up an eight wicket win. James Wilkinson carried his bat with 61 not out for the rams.

Great Horton stayed on the tails of Oxenhope and Queensbury with a seven-wicket success at home to Stones, Robert Gamble (61 not out) steering them to victory.

Ethan Pollard made 52 not out and claimed two of Stones’ three wickets.

Alex Blagborough led the way as Outlane went run crazy at home to Clayton in Division Two.

Blagborough hit 144 up by the M62 and Lee Mellor (84) and Andrew Holding (74) also feasted on the Bradford side’s bowling as Outlane amassed 385 for seven.

Most of the weary Clayton players didn’t appear to have much of a stomach for a fight when it was their turn to bat but opener Chris Ramsden did. He carried his bat for 77 not out as Clayton subsided for 143.

Lowly Old Town looked to be in with a chance of a first win of the season when hosts Bradshaw stood at 149 for six.

However, Chris Pell (69 no) and Sam Crowther (47 not) scuppered their hopes with a 94-run stand.

Needing 246, Town only managed 136 with Amy Gibson taking four for 19.

Greetland were back in action at second placed Cullingworth and Ilaq Jamel (61) dashed home hopes of a quick win.

The 10-man visitors made 170 and Ben Birkill followed up his three wickets with 85 not out in a nine-wicket success.

Imran Aslam hit 102 for leaders Denholme Clough but it was number 10 Mohammad Ali’s 59 not out which really hurt hosts Luddenden Foot.

The Calder Valley side were left chasing 270 and that was beyond them in spite of Jamie Hothersall’s 78.

Shelf were 99 run winners at Upper Hopton thanks mainly to Bill Sugden (73 no) and opening bowlers Robert Ramsden and Mick Priestley, who accounted for nine home batsmen between them.

Premier Division: *Blackley 331-7, Thornton 181: pts 12-5. Jer Lane 271-7 (Hustler 72, Pinfield 63, Chowdrey 42, Collins 39, Hartley 3-52), *Copley 240-9 (Baldwin 98, Thorpe 63, Collins 3-61, Lister 3-66): pts 11-5. Booth 274-8, *SBCI 132 (Dalby 43, J Sykes 38*, Saghir 4-28): pts 12-3. Mytholmroyd 230-8 (J Earle 65, Sutcliffe 55, Grenwood 3-57, Schofield 3-62), *Sowerby St Peter’s 87 (Watkins 34, Azam 4-32, J Earle 4-36): pts 12-2. Sowerby Bridge 282-8, *Triangle 174: pts 12- 4. Northowram HT 271-9 (Saghir 143, Kinsey 3-63, G Keywood 3-71), *Warley 275-9 (M Whitworth 80, Bottomley 50, J Whitworth 30, Saghir 3-87): pts 5-11.

Division One: *Bridgeholme 185 (Challis 62, Mahmood 36, Mallinson 5-76, Storton 4-63), Oxenhope 186-8 (Bailey 60, Ousey 36*, Ali 5-51): pts 5-12. Stones 181 (Pollard 52*, O’Rourke 49, Patel 4- 38, H Syed 3-59), *Great Horton PC 182-3 (Gamble 61*, Ilyas 35): pts 3-12. Southowram 93 (Wilkinson 61*, Linsel 5-27, Dixon 3-24), *Old Crossleyans 95-2 (Mahmood 33*): pts 0-12. *Queensbury 290-4 (Watson 110, Osbourne 109), Low Moor HT 143-9 (Narey 52, Singh 5-60): pts

Division Two: *Bradshaw 245-6 (Pell 69*, Crowther 47*, Spendelow 34, Cotton 32), Old Town 136 (Shah 36, Mahmood 33, Gibson 4-19): pts 12-2. Greetland 170 (Jamal 61, Burkill 3-21), *Cullingworth 172-1 (Birkill 85*, S Welch 39*): pts 2-12. Denholme Clough 270 (I Aslam 102, M Ali 59, Bairstow 3-35, J Stott 3-81), *Luddenden Foot 221 (Hothersall 78, J Stott 44, Yates 43, Hanif 3-24): pts 12-6. *Outlane 385-7 (Blagborough 144, Mellor 84, Holding 74, Ainley 31*, Walker 3-79), Clayton 143 (Ramsden 77*, Wrigley 5-24): pts 12-4. Shelf 227-4 (Sugden 73*, Malik 51), *Upper Hopton 128 (Stephenson 30, Priestley 5-41, Ramsden 4-38): pts 12-2.