Thornton and Copley aim to build on encouraging form in Premier Division

Cricket - Shelf Northowram Hedge Top v Copley. Copley Bowler Oliver Thorpe.Cricket - Shelf Northowram Hedge Top v Copley. Copley Bowler Oliver Thorpe.
Cricket - Shelf Northowram Hedge Top v Copley. Copley Bowler Oliver Thorpe.
The Briggs Priestley Parish Cup final will feature Booth and holders Thornton on 1 August whilst Sowerby St Peter’s await the winners, for its 15 August final, of the second Covea Insurance Crossley Shield semi-final.

Last Sunday holders Thornton took little time in despatching its First Division opponents at Great Horton PC, where the home team could only manage 76 all out in the face of some controlled bowling from Greg Soames (3-10) and Ross Parr (3-18). Thornton only required 11.1 overs to reach a winning 77-2.

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At Mytholmroyd, versus Booth, Matthew Scholefield (71) and Spencer Harris (49no) top-scored in their team’s 219 all out, as Hashim Wajid took 4-25. The target did not appear enough and so it proved as Rob Laycock (77no) and Jon Midgley (55) led the chase and the visitors won in the 42th over at 221-4.

Sowerby St Peter’s beat SBCI in the first Shield semi-final, by 66 runs, with its skipper Craig Potts (60) leading from the front and it will play the winners between Sowerby Bridge and Blackley of the tie delayed to 25 July by the pandemic.

Last Saturday’s ENCO league programme was also affected by Covid-19, with the cancellation of the top-of-the–table Premier Division clash between Warley and Booth for safety reasons. At Triangle the leaders took advantage of the situation in trouncing neighbours Sowerby Bridge by a massive 238 runs. Firstly Adam Stocks (105) was at the forefront of a 310-8 total and thereafter Kurtis Whippey (5-23) and Zach Rushton (5-43) raced through the ten wickets in an amazing 13.3 overs as the Bridge batsmen simply capitulated to 72 all out.

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Copley continued its rise up the table with a ten-wicket win at Shelf Northowram HT as the latter’s batsmen simply failed to cope with Oliver Thorpe, whose bowling figures of 13.4-5-40-8 are the best in the league thus far.

The First Division leaders, Sowerby St Peter’s, returned to winning ways at Great Horton PC, but only just by a squeaky one-wicket victory.

In the Second Division the noteworthy performance came at Augustinians, who won for the first time this season, as it surprisingly defeated Stones by two wickets. In-form Dean Crossley hit a 108-tun century as Southowram moved into second place behind Greetland, with a 102-run win against Brigeholme.

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The most interesting of the Premier Division fixtures on Saturday’s comes at Thornton who entertain Copley. Both teams are returning to form after an indifferent start and it should prove a tight contest.

In the First Division Luddendenfoot, visiting Upper Hopton, will be expected to keep the pressure on leaders Sowerby St Peter’s, who visit Mount.

Second Division Southowram will be keen to put more points on the board and a victory at Augustinians could see it whittle Greetland’s lead down to only six points, as the latter has a free date.

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Sunday sees Mytholmroyd host the Vocation Brewery T20 Trophy Finals Day in a 120 overs extravaganza that runs from 10am to 6pm.

Holders Booth take on Thornton in the first semi-final whilst Blackley and SBCI contest the second at 1pm. The final takes place at 4pm.

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