Nine-wicket Dyson sinks champs

Dyson took nine for 89 - the best figures in the league this season - as the promoted visitors bowled out Richard Laycock’s hosts for 158 in reply to Oxenhope’s 185 for nine off 40 overs.

Laycock took five for 47 to keep the visitors in check, middle order pair Lewis Hopkinson (40) and Joe Ousey (41) faring best for the visitors.

Dyson then left the home batting line-up in tatters and the hosts needed their last pair Gareth Swain (26) and Moazzam Ayub (37) to salvage acouple of batting points.

Fittingly, Dyson had the last word by bowling Ayub to complete probably Oxenhope’s best win in 13 years of Halifax League cricket.

Oxenhope’s win puts them fourth, just two points behind Booth with SBCI and Jer Lane sandwiched in between.

SBCI registered a 124-run win at Mytholmroyd with their openers George Hampshire and Simon Wood grabbing the bull by the horns from the start.

Hampshire hit 115 and Wood batted all 45 overs, finishing unbeaten on 155 as the Church Institute notched 311 for three, seventh choice bowler Spenser Harris taking all the wickets.

Veteran Wajid Ali (65) and former SBCI player Matthew Scholefield (50) gave Royd’s reply a solid start but change bowlers Henry Lamper (5-40) and Thomas Wood (4-35) cut a swathe through the home ranks to dismiss them for 187.

Jer Lane were four wicket winners in a contest reduced to 30 overs per side by rain.

Nasir Chowdrey (4-26) and Amjid Khan (4-36) did a fine job to limit the hosts to 140 and experienced pair Simon Collins (29) and Johnny Lister (28 no) sealed a hard-fought success for the visitors.

Queensbury are 12 points adrift of Copley and Northowram HT at the bottom of the Premier after a five-wicket defeat at Hedge Top.

Home skipper Tom Clee took five wickets but he could not dismiss Amjad Ali, who came in at six and hit 102 not out to enable Queensbury to close on 231 for six after 42 overs.

Dan Cole made 77 at the top of the home order and Raz Saghir (45) and Nazim Irshad (46) helped seal victory for Northowram.

Ex-Northowram batsman Adam Stocks hit 90, sharing in a stand of 172 with Nathan Madden (97) for the first wicket to set up Triangle for a 192-run win away to close rivals Sowerby St Peter’s.

Christine Silkstone (60) helped send the total climbing to 284 for seven and Sowerby folded tamely to 92 all out with Kurtis Whippey, Liam Turner and Jack Gledhill sharing the wickets.

Warley had a welcome win to move up the lower reaches of the division with a seven-wicket victory at Thornton, who were 173 all out.

Premier Division: Oxenhope 185-9, *Booth 158 (Dyson 9-89): pts 12-4. *Copley 140-8 (Chowdrey 4-26, A Khan 4-36), Jer Lane 141-6: pts 6-11. SBCI 311-3 (S Wood 155*, Hampshire 115), *Mytholmroyd 187 (Ali 65, Scholefield 50, Lamper 5-40, T Wood 4-35): pts 12-3. Queensbury 231-6 (Ali 102*, Clee 5-76), *Northowram HT 234-5 (Cole 77, Irshad 46, Saghir 45): pts 4-10. Triangle 284-7 (Madden 97, Stocks 90, Silkstone 60), *Sowerby St Peter’s 92 (L Turner 4-39): pts 12-2. *Thornton 173, Warley 175-3: pts 12-2.

Points (after six games): Booth 56, SBCI 55, Jer Lane 55, Oxenhope 54, Sowerby SP 44, Thornton 42, Triangle 38, Warley 36, Mythomroyd 35, Northowram HT 31, Copley 31, Queensbury 19.