All-rounder Greg trims Hedge Top

The all-rounder enjoyed himself in the sunshine at home to Shelf Northowram Hedge Top, hitting 111 and following up with 7-77 in his side’s 106-run win.

Warley were bouncing back after being bowled out for 67 away to leaders Thornton seven days earlier and they lie second to those rivals in the table.

Left-hander Keywood hit 14 fours and three sixes before being run out yesterday but he wasn’t quite his side’s top scorer with classy opener Chris Atkinson making 112, with 13 fours and four sixes.

The pair’s second wicket stand of 185 set up Warley for a total of 310-5, Shazad Hassan adding to the visitors’ problems with an unbeaten 51.

Keywood then had Hedge Top on the ropes at 41-5 before a stand of 113 between skipper Ollie Hemingway (60) and hard-hitting Babar Malik (72) at least helped the visitors earn maximum batting points at 204 all out.

Thornton continue to blaze the trail. They have an eight-point lead after a fine run chase at Oxenhope, where they overhauled the home side’s 248-9 with two wickets to spare.

Triangle made fairly short work of struggling hosts Bridgeholme, who were grateful to Yasir Mahmood for helping them avoid embarrassment.

The number five hit 93 not out, including eight maximums, but none of his teammates managed more than 15 as three wickets each for Kurtis Whippey, Jack Gledhill and Liam Turner restricted the Eastwood side to a very modest 152.

Sajjad Mahmood dismissed the top three Triangle batsmen but Chris Metcalf’s 54 not out completed a six-wicket success inside 20 overs.

Copley are the only side below Bridgeholme in the table. Their disappointing start continued with a 109-run defeat at Booth, who have won four in a row after their opening day disaster at Warley.

Last year’s league batting averages winner Rob Laycock added weight to the adage that “form is temporary, class is permanent” by backing up the previous weekend’s pair of ducks with 90.

Hasnain Wajid (79) and Steve Senior (48) also made the Copley bowlers suffer as Booth racked up 336-6.

Alex Blagborough (39) was the only one of Copley’s top five in double figures before number six Ali Jain Ul Abideen (62) and number eight William Rushton (68) showed some defiance.

Moazzam Ayub (4-43) ended the pair’s fun and finished off Copley for 227.

Mytholmroyd were brought down to earth, after their fine win at Triangle, by visitors Sowerby St Peter’s.

Sowerby made 220, thanks mainly to Aiden Green (82), but that is a fairly modest score at Moderna Way when conditions are decent.

However, prolific wicket-taker Martin Schofield (5-54) and surprise packet John Brown (4-17) dismissed Royd for 170 with Hasan Jamil (53), opener Saad Hussain (50) and Tom Conway (45) short of support.

Dean Crossley was among the runs again for Southowram, his 93 not out alongside 69 from Scott Griffiths helping the Rams top hosts SBCI’s 233-5 to win by five wickets.

Tom and Simon Wood had scored 124 between them for the Church Institute with Sam Hinchcliffe unbeaten on 43.

Premier Division: *Booth 336-6 (Rob Laycock 90, Wajid 79, Senior 48), Copley 227 (Rushton 68, Ul Abideen 62, Ayub 4-43): pts 12-4. *Bridgeholme 152 (Y Mahmood 93*), Triangle 156-4 (Metcalf 54*): pts 3-12. Sowerby St Peter’s 220 (Green 82, Potts 40, Cowens 4-51), *Mytholmroyd 170 (Jamil 53, Hussain 50, Conway 45, Schofield 5-54, Brown 4-17): pts 12-5. *Oxenhope 248-9, Thornton 252-8: pts 5-11. *SBCI 233-5 (S Wood 64, T Wood 60, Hinchcliffe (43*), Southowram 235-5 (Crossley 93*, Griffiths 69): pts 4-10. *Warley 310-5 (Atkinson 112, Keywood 111, Hassan 51*), Shelf Northowram HT 204 (Malik 72, Hemingway 60, Keywood 7-77): pts 12-4.

Points (after 5 matches): Thornton 58, Warley 50, Triangle 49, Booth 47, Shelf Northowram HT 43, Sowerby St Peters 35, Mytholmroyd 34, Oxenhope 33, Southowram 33, SBCI 20, Bridgeholme 17, Copley 16.