Queensbury drop fears grow

They lost their basement battle at home to Northowram Hedge Top by four wickets and now trail their rivals by 16 points with five games left. Only one side will go down.

Runs were hard to come by at Old Guy Road. The Queensbury batsmen were up against it from an early stage and were grateful to Tom Watson’s 43 not out for reaching 115 all out in 39 overs.

That total looked as though it might be enough when Hedge Top lost six quick wickets but Harry Talbot (53 no) and Kier Litjens (26 no) put together a match-winning stand.

Top three Booth, Jer Lane and Mytholmroyd all banked 12 points and next Saturday’s clash between the first-named top two looks key in the title race.

Booth followed up last Sunday’s Parish Cup final win over Royd by scrambling a two-wicket success away to an Oxenhope side who have been out of sorts.

Oxenhope got off to a poor start but Lewis Hopkinson held the innings together with an excellent 81 not out and number 11 Duncan Tetley frustrated Booth with 22 to lift the total to 171.

Liam Dyson (4-59) soon had Booth’s openers back in the pavilion and a shock looked on the cards until Usman Saghir came to the crease and hit 60 as the relieved visitors pulled through.

Simon Collins’ five for 37 helped Jer Lane dismiss visitors Copley for 149 with Alex Rowles’ 44 the top contribution.

Dan Laban’s 53 not out saw Jer Lane home with six wickets to spare.

Mytholmroyd bowled out hosts SBCI for 109 and romped to a seven-wicket success.

Sowerby SP’s Matthew Hoyle and Warley’s Luke Duckitt each took seven wickets but both finished on the losing side.

Hoyle bagged 7-84 on the St Peter’s club’s short trip to Triangle but league side captain Christian Silkstone’s 62 helped post a total of 225. Sowerby’s reply fell 18 runs short.

It was even closer at Thornton where the home side beat Warley by nine runs.

Thornton totalled 211 in spite of Duckitt’s 7-66, which included the wickets of top scoring pair Josh Hutchinson (89) and Ryan Brooksbank (51).

Hutchinson took three wickets late in the contest, including the vital one of James Whitworth for 69, to tip the scales his side’s way.

Premier Division: Copley 149 (Rowles 44, Collins 5-37), *Jer Lane 150-4 (Laban 53*): pts 3-12. *Oxenhope 171 (Hopkinson 81*) Booth 172-8 (Saghir 60, Dyson 4-59) pts 4-12. *Queensbury 115 (Watson 43*), Northowram HT 116-6 (Talbot 53*): pts 2-12. *SBCI 109, Mytholmroyd 113-3: pts 1-12. *Triangle 225 (Silkstone 62, Hoyle 7-84), Sowerby St Peter’s 207: pts 12-6. Thornton 211 (Hutchinson 89, Brooksbank 51, Duckett 7-66), *Warley 202 (Whitworth 67): pts 12-6.