Title is Triangle’s for the taking in Halifax Cricket League Premier Division

It was Copley that inflicted Booth’s defeat despite it only scoring 128 all out as it batted first. However Ian Hartley (6-29) was on top form for the hosts as Booth was blown away for a meagre 70 all out.

As the top section season enters its final phases interest will centre on the bottom of the table where four teams are in a relegation dog-fight, that is almost certain to go the wire. It’s a two from four situation with, SNHT (81 points), Sowerby Bridge (100), Blackley (105) and Bradshaw (107) fighting it out.

The last day of the season even sees a mini-competition between the four! Sowerby Bridge continues to throw away matches and its visit to Illingworth St Mary’s was no exception. It reduced St Mary’s to 8-5 and still lost! Despite a mid-innings recovery the all out total of 107 should have been attainable. But the Bridge batting frailties surfaced again, despite switching its batting order, and it was in disarray managing only 87 all out in 35.1 overs.

The First Division championship chase will also maintain much interest for the last four weeks as Sowerby St Peter’s (151 points), Great Horton PC (145) and Luddendenfoot (144) are tightly packed at the top. All three won last weekend with Jonny Phillips of Great Horton hitting a brilliant 140 runs.

In the Second Division the performance of the day came from promotion favourites Greetland at Bridgeholme. This writer, having seen the first class ground preparations for himself last Friday, could hardly believe the Saturday live score at 2:22pm – Bridgeholme 36 all out in 12 overs. Quite simply Greetland’s duo of Waqas Ali (6-2-11-6) and Zafar Khan (6-1-21-3) took the hosts batting apart, amazingly eight being clean bowled! The visitors replied with 40-2 from a match that lasted only 22.1 overs. Iqrar Hussain was the star of the match at Bradley & Colnebridge as he scored a career best 150 runs in only 137 balls against Cullingworth, as the home team won by 134 runs.

This Saturday’s Premier Division fixture list has thrown up a tough trip for Blackley to Triangle whilst Mytholmroyd, now in second place, will need to win at Booth to keep up amy pressure on the leaders. The top three in the First Division avoid each other so little, if any, change in the positions is forecast whilst in the Second Division Greetland now require only 17 points to achieve promotion and it should reduce that figure considerable as Stones visit.

The 73rd Crossley Shield Final, sponsored by the Covéa Insurance Company, was played under cloudy skies last Sunday but fortunately, apart from a short break after the tea interval, it escaped the rain that surrounded Stones CC. Sowerby Bridge sent in neighbours Sowerby St Peter’s and it scored 171 all out of which Adam Clarke hit an excellent 87 to give his bowlers something to bowl at.

However enter the star of the afternoon, the Bridge’s Scott Griffiths. He was clearly not in the mood to do much running between the wickets as he hammered all bar ten of his runs in boundaries with 15 x 4’s and 5 x 6’s in his 106-run maiden century. His skipper Paul Taylor (45 not out) watched with admiration at the other end but had to score the winning run, at 172-2, as Griffiths was out with the scores level, teammates convinced that it was intentional so as to receive a solo standing ovation! The Sowerby Bridge skipper collected the Crossley Shield from Covéa Insurance’s CEO, Adrian Furness, and it was no surprise when Griffiths was named man-of-the-final.