Nine derby wickets for Sykes

Former skipper Sykes took 9-58 as SBCI stopped their rot with a satisfying 52-run derby win at Warley.

A 74-run opening stand by George Hampshire (36) and Rhys Newman (40) got the visitors on the front foot and Simon Wood (55) and Charles Hyland (52 no) sent the total spiralling up to 258-6.

The under-pressure home batsmen were soon floundering at 21-4 and 68-5 in the face of Sykes’s seam bowling.

Greg Keywood (74) and Dan Syme (51) revived the Warley innings but Sykes dismissed them both and was denied the chance of all 10 wickets when Tom Wood took the ninth to fall.

While SBCI were ending a five-match losing run, Oxenhope’s barren sequence was extended to nine when Parr took 8-42 at The Flatt.

Oxenhope were all out for 80 and Ross Soames hit 50 as the visitors needed only 11 overs to wrap up an eight wicket win.

Having had early dreams of title success, Oxenhope are now grateful that only one team is going down.

That side is almost certain to be Queensbury, who totalled only eight more than Oxenhope in a seven-wicket home defeat by title favourites Booth.

Nigel Horsfall (4-36) and Moazzam Ayub (4-8) set Booth on the trail of another 12 points.

That return was matched by second-placed Jer Lane, who put Mytholmroyd out of the championship running with a 192-run mauling at Horton Bank Top.

Home skipper Wayne Cotton showed he was getting over recent injury problems with 124 and Imran Mirza (58 no) and Johnny Lister (46) helped Lane pile up the runs.

Having posted 288-5, Lane then dismissed their visitors for 96 with 4-44 from Amjid Khan to remain 12 points behind Booth with three rounds of fixtures left.

Adie Gawthrope added 35 to his earlier three wickets for Royd.

Northowram Hedge Top’s relegation worries look behind them after Dan Cole and Jack Hemblys performed starring roles in their 10-run success at Sowerby St Peter’s.

Cole hit 101 at the top of the order as Northowram totalled 247 for nine, Ben Watkins picking up six for 74.

Former Old Crossleyans spinner Hemblys bowled through in the second half, taking six for 80 including the last two wickets as Aiden Green (83) and Hayden Bruce (44 no) took the St Peter’s club close.

Pace man Kurtis Whippey (four for 31 off 18 overs) made life tough for Triangle’s visitors Copley.

Chris Dennison (46), Nick Gomersal (41) and Oliver Thorpe (39) chipped in as Copley got their score up to 198 for seven but Adam Stocks (83 no) figured in stands of 78 with Tom Fryer (28) and 101 with skipper Christian Silkstone (55 no) as Triangle coasted to an eight-wicket success.

Premier Division: *Jer Lane 288-5 (Cotton 124, Mirza 58*, Lister 46), Mytholmroyd 96 (Khan 5-44): pts 12-1. *Oxenhope 80 (Parr 8-42), Thornton 84-2 (Soames 50): pts 0-12. *Queensbury 88 (Ayub 4-8, Horsfall 4-36), Booth 89-3: pts 0-12. Northowram HT 247-9 (Cole 101, Watkins 6-74), *Sowerby St Peter’s 237 (Green 83, Bruce 44*, Hemblys 6-80): pts 12-5. Copley 198-7 (Dennison 46, Gomersal 41, Whippey 4-31), *Triangle 202-2 (Stocks 83*, Silkstone 55*): pts 3-11. SBCI 258- 6 (S Wood 55, Hyland 52*, Newman 40), *Warley 206 (G Keywood 74, Syme 51, Sykes 9-58): pts 12-4. get.

Points (played 19): Booth 182, Jer Lane 170, Thornton 164, Mytholmroyd 157, Triangle 142, Warley 135, Sowerby SP 132, Copley 123, SBCI 118, Northowram HT 112, Oxenhope 112, Queensbury 81.