9:00am Thursday 28th June 2012
By Trevor Coe
The season has not reached the halfway point yet but the Mewies Solicitors Craven League Division One title race is becoming a two-horse race.
Leaders Haworth Road have not lost a game to the weather despite Airedale having lost six and Embsay five.
Play was possible in only nine games last weekend, with eight of them reaching a finish.
Poor Airedale nearly had the River Aire coming through their front door as the ground was under two foot of water! A similar fate befell Riddlesden and Bradford & Bingley’s new ground.
Haworth Road entertained joint bottom Bingley Congs and made 168-8 in their overs, with M Hussain making 68 and Will Burgess (34) as Adie Dibb took 3-63.
Congs crumpled to 62 all out with Mohammed Zahid taking 5-30.
Second-placed Haworth, six points adrift, travelled to Crossflatts and took part in a 32-overs-per-side game.
The Bradford Road side managed 103, although at 95-3 they would have been expecting to score more.
However, the introduction of the Rowell brothers undermined their innings. Jamie took 4-17 in three overs and Damian (3-3) in five overs as opener Manoj Kumar made 59.
The Bronte side also struggled and they only reached their target with just eight balls to go for the loss of four wickets.
Jamie Rowell, who opened the innings, was the lynchpin with 35no.
Bradley’s game at Cullingworth was reduced to 38 overs per side. The South Craveners went first and made a moderate 148-8.
James Heseltine top-scored with 39no and Matt Buckmaster and Craig Tempest both chipped in with 29 as Chris Welch took 4-64.
Cullingworth took 35.2 overs to reach their target as Josh Evans made 42no, Steve Welch (38) and Sam Murphy (31), with Hesletine spinning his way to 3-37.
The only game in Division Two was at Glusburn, where Pendle Forest suffered a similar collapse to Crossflatts.
They were 94-2 and then 117 all out with opener Matthew Lloyd scoring 56 as Andy Townsend (4-11) and A Khalid (4-34) struck.
However, all was not lost as the Park Field side’s skipper Mark Pickles (8-24) ran through the Fence side, who closed on 79 all out.
At one point, they were 20-6 before Jon Cant (20) and Peter Hakin (35) pulled things around slightly.
Cullingworth II recorded their first win of the season, in Division Three but remain bottom a point behind Gargrave.
They rattled up 182-8, led by Russell Hogg (72no) and Paddy Clark (34), as Joe Bottomley took 4-46 and Liam Chipman (4-23).
Haworth West End replied with 162, of which Owen Palmer made 73 and Sam Chipman (33) as Jack Rogers took 4-42 and Hogg (3-52).
There was no play possible in any Division Four games.
In Division Five, Adam Fothergill (62), Greg Hudson (27) and Sam Nettleton (21) were the main contributors to Oakworth III’s 156-8 at Gargrave II.
Then Michael Davison took 6-22 off 17.1 overs to help the Skipton Road side back to the hut for 57.
Second-team skipper Steve Powell agreed to stand down at selection to ensure the Wide Lane side had a full team.
He was out for a golden duck, with most of his team- mates and the supporters appealing loudly.
Over at Pendle, Eldwick & Gilstead II were dismissed for 80, with T Zaman taking 8-30. Pendle Forest II got home by six wickets.
Cowling II managed 14 overs at home to Foulridge II before rain stopped play.
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