LEADERS Morley stayed on course for an immediate return to the top flight after increasing their lead at the top of the Division Two to 19 points with a 43-run win at Spen Victoria.

Colin Nuthall was top scorer with 42 not out as Morley posted 193-9 after Adal Islam had taken 5-42.

Dave Nebard followed up by taking 5-47 with his off spin as Spen were bowled out for 150. Defeat was tough on batsman Peter Jackson, who tried to hold Spen’s innings together before he was last out for 57 with 2.4 overs left.

Second-placed Scholes, aiming for promotion in their first season in the JCT600 Bradford League, were frustrated after rain forced the abandonment of their game at Bankfoot. They were favourites to win, needing 43 from 12 overs with seven wickets left in pursuit Bankfoot’s 195-9 when play was halted.

Robert Ellis (43no) was top scorer for Bankfoot while James Stansfield took 4-43. Hisan Ahmad (3-27) posed early problems for Scholes before Yasir Ali (69no) and Toby Thorpe (40) put them on course for victory with a stand of 100.

Gomersal maintained their promotion challenge with a 54-run win against bottom club Keighley. Openers Ben Hyde and Adam Greenwood, who both made 65, shared an opening stand of 130 to help Gomersal make 229.

Sam Murphy (61) was top scorer as Keighley replied with 175-9 and was supported by Max Davidson (32) and Andrew Wear (31), who had earlier taken four wickets. However, they were not able to prevent Keighley sliding to their seventh defeat in nine games.

Opener Abid Alishan scored an unbeaten 110, including one six and 16 fours, as Bowling Old Lane gained a nine-wicket win at Brighouse.

Alishan shared a second-wicket stand of 158 with Mustafa Bhatti (60no) as Old Lane successfully pursued Brighouse’s total of 206. Earlier, Ahsan Alishan had taken 4-67 while Mohammed Kurshid was top scorer for Brighouse with 59.

Two more matches were abandoned due to rain. Next to the bottom Idle were in trouble at 82-6 in reply to Hartshead Moor’s 131 when the weather had the last word while Yeadon were in trouble at 177-9 chasing 204 to win at home to Windhill when play was halted.

Bowlers Alex Robinson (4-30) and Mohammed Rafiq (3-25) kept Hartshead Moor in check, but Idle also encountered problems against the accurate Danny Squire who took 5-14.

Altaf Mohammed picked up 6-49 for Yeadon against Windhill, but consistent batting from Shoaib Iqbal (45), Muhammed Yasin (38), Maz Bhatti (37) and Khalid Mehmood (33) enabled the visitors to top 200.

Yeadon began well through Oliver Halliday (45) and James Goldthorp (42), but, as the weather threatened, they sacrificed wickets in pursuit of quick runs with three falling on 164. After those blows, they were content to stave off defeat. Zafar Jadoon was the best Windhill bowler with 5-60.