Walsden are new leaders

CCricket - Walsden v Ramsbottom. Stevie Barker for Walsden.

Josh Gale was the main man as the Scott Street side inflicted a first defeat of the season on their visitors and replaced them at the summit.

Ramsbottom made 189 all out with South African Sen Muthusamy top scoring with 60 and skipper Tom Parton 51.

The visitors moved to 107-2, after Stevie Barker had claimed the first two wickets, but Josh Gale (4-23) and pro Umesh Karunaratne (4-45) ran through the rest of the order.

Gale then hit 106 not out off 122 balls, including 15 fours and two sixes, as Walsden eased to their target in the 44th over.

It was Gale’s maiden first team century and came after he had been out for 98 in a cup match the previous weekend.

James Rawlinson made 45 and Karunaratne finished unbeaten on 24 as Nick Barker’s side took a seven-point lead at the top.

Todmorden were also seven-wicket winners, away to Accrington, to check their slide down the table.

Their bowlers did a fine job in dismissing the Thorneyholme Road side for 95 with Matt Collins taking 4-26, Bilal Abbas 3-15 and Mo Bux 2-46.

Ben Sutcliffe made 17, passing 5,000 Lancashire League runs, as Tod strolled home without too many alarms, helped by pro Chris Schofield’s 34 not out.

BARKISLAND are through to the last eight of the Huddersfield League’s Sykes Cup after producing a fine run chase to beat division-higher visitors Armitage Bridge yesterday.

Darren Robinson’s side, picking up after a slow start to the season, looked to have a tough but far from impossible task after Bridge had made 254-5 with 122 from Kiwi Tony Treadaway.

Barkisland ultimately won comfortably, by six wickets and with six overs to spare, thanks to a solid top-order batting effort in which Luke Bridges made 77, Jamie Summerscales 60, Ben Westbrook 47 and George Hampshire 36.

Elland and Rastrick crashed out to top-section rivals.

Elland were bowled out for 57 by visitors Shepley in 21 overs with late-order men Tom Thornton and Peter Dobson the joint top scorers with 12.

Tom Denton (33 no) and John Anderson (22 no) completed a 10-wicket win for the visitors.

The action was over even quicker at Delph & Dobcross where Rastrick had no answer to Pakistani first class left-arm bowler Waqas Maqsood (9-23) and were dismissed for 44.

Adam Shaw did manage one wicket in reply but the contest lasted less than 21 overs.