THORNTON’S lead at the top of the Spenser Wilson Halifax League was cut to four points in an action-packed Premier Division as champions Booth won by four wickets at Broad Fold Park.

The visitors were in trouble at 99-6 but rallied via Joshua Hutchinson (47) and No 9 Ross Parr, with a face-saving 59 not out as his team reached 209-9, with Ric Laycock recording 5-76.

That wasn't enough, however, as Booth reached their target with three overs to spare, with Patrick Thomas (55no) steering the hosts home.

Twenty wickets fell at Oxenhope but visitors Triangle had the larger share of the 451 runs scored and moved to within eight points of top spot.

The visitors batted first and, in a staccato performance, mainly relied on runs from Christian Silkstone (86) and No 8 Chris Metcalf (53), who scored over half the 244 runs as Joel Fothergill claimed 5-58.

In reply, Lewis Hopkinson (51) headed the scorers for the home team but they fell 37 runs short as David Turner took 5-60.

Copley’s first set of maximum points came at The Arches as they beat Shelf Northowram Hedge Top, whose good start to the season is beginning to fade, by 77 runs.

Alex Blagborough (83) and Oliver Thorpe (69) led the way in Copley's 262-7, and the difference would have been wider if Harry Reynolds (41) and Aamir Rashid (33) had not moved the score on from 83-7 as Thorpe completed an excellent personal afternoon with 6-36.

Southowram enjoyed the delights of Bridgeholme, and none more so than Ian Hall, who hammered 15 fours and 10 sixes in 162 – his second century of the season.

Scott Griffiths (40) chipped in and the 45-over total was 340-9, with Sajad Mahmood bowling valiantly to take 4-80.

Anyone passing on Halifax Road after tea, however, would have had to have a double take as the scoreboard read 7-6 at one stage and then 16-8.

Javid Iqbal then smashed 46 not out to prevent total embarrassment but nevertheless the final wicket fell with that scoreboard showing just 54.

Eight batsmen recorded ducks, the innings lasted only 10.4 overs and Ian Gledhill registered the best bowling analysis of the season of 5.4-3-7-8.

And Southowram’s historian is still looking back in the records to see if the club has ever won by 286 runs before! The last tie in the Premier Division was in 2015 and involved Warley, and coincidentally Paradise Lane was the scene of the latest as the home club and Sowerby St Peter’s shared 486 runs.

Sowerby were indebted to a trio of batsmen as opener Adam Clarke’s 66 was followed by an unbeaten 85-run partnership between Gareth Hall (68no) and Benjamin Hoyle (54no) that eventually proved vital.

In reply, Warley lost wickets at regular intervals until No 8 James Whitworth arrived at the crease, and his 68 not out, in company with No 11 Cameron van Rensberg (13no), put them a run away from victory as Martin Schofield took 6-106.

SBCI came unstuck for the seventh time this season, with hosts Mytholmroyd winning by 114 runs.

Batting first the home team, with Thomas Conway (69) and Jack Earle (62) top-scoring, totalled 281-8, which was far too much for SBCI.

They were struggling after opener Rhys Newton (66) departed and lost their last five wickets for 22 as four bowlers shared the wickets.

Great Horton Park Chapel took advantage of Sowerby Bridge’s slip to move into second spot in the First Division after a 99-run win at struggling Queensbury.

Park Chapel's first four batsmen set the tone with scores of 28, 26, 29 and 29 in a team effort that brought a total of 221.

Despite Queensbury’s Oliver Challis (59) top-scoring in the match, he had no real support as Dominic Anderson claimed 5-38 and the visitors took 12 points.

The clash of the day resulted in leaders Illingworth St Mary’s continuing their fine start to the season by defeating Sowerby Bridge by 30 runs at Walton Street.

A partnership between Daniel Murfet (108no) and Veryan Brooksby (89) proved a match-winner as the 45 overs brought 264-5, with Murfet's century being his second ton this season.

In reply, Bridge were far too reliant on the batting of Joshua Wood (87) and Tim Helliwell (40), and once they were dismissed the result was never in doubt.

Ebb and flow is an understated description of the match at Bradshaw as the home team recovered 39-6 to beat Blackley by 12 runs.

After Jacob Linsel (5-37) had taken the first four Bradshaw wickets cheaply, Simon Collins (91) and Mohammed Yousaf (43) produced what became match-saving runs so that a respectable 215-9 was recorded.

Blackley’s reply was orchestrated by Hans Randwana, whose 102 gave the visitors hope of victory, but once he had departed with the score at 156-7, nobody was able to see it through in the face of an excellent spell of bowling from Aaron Buckley (7-58).

In the Second Division, Upper Hopton's Matthew Haigh must have had an early evening appointment!

He smashed 48 not out in eight overs to ensure an early win after they had demolished Bradley & Colnebridge for only 63.

Jack Stephenson took 4-31 in a match that lasted just 35.1 overs.

It was much harder work at Cullingworth as the home team struggled to find any scoring form against Luddendenfoot, with the exception of Elliott Robinson (40no) in their 130-8.

Joel Cleary (70no) and Charlie-Holt Conway (42no) ensured a maximum points haul for the leaders in an unbroken 97-run partnership.

On the Mark at Low Moor HT were Stokes (111) and Mills (50) in a partnership of 163 that turned out to be match-winning against Old Town.

The latter could only respond with 133 as the home team moved to within a point of their visitors.

Mahmad Gheewala (114) has been enjoying a fine season for second-placed Mount, and he capped several previous performances with a century as Leymoor visited Staincliffe.

Assistance came from an unlikely source in No 9 Zahoor Munaf, whose 80 not out included 66 runs in boundaries. Six Leymoor batsmen started their innings well but none managed to stay too long, with Mark Coulson (44) being the only player to top 40 as the visitors lost by 72 runs.

Outlane’s historian was also scouring the record books as the short trip to Greetland brought a massive score of 398-5 for his team, Chris Brook being the star of the show with 159 runs, ably assisted by five other top-order batsmen.

Mention must, however, be also be made of 'Mr Extras' – with exactly 50 runs to his credit!

A demoralised home team were shot out for 94, with only Scott Whelen (46) putting up any resistance as Outlane won by an incredible 304 runs.