A HIGH-SCORING game at Bridgeholme saw Oxenhope take the spoils in Halifax League Division One despite missing four regulars.

Runs came all down the order for the Worth Valley side, the lynchpin being Liam Dyson with 90no as Darren Hopkinson (44) and Tom Tetley (52) also made key contributions in a total of 328-7, Bobby Fielden taking 3-55.

A score of over 300 can never be taken as a wining one on the tight Bridgeholme ground but victory looked assured when Nathan Storton, moving up from the second XI, took four wickets at the top of the order in a devastating spell of fast bowling as Bridgeholme were reduced to 41-5. James Hudson (87) and Bobby Fielden (79) then put together a stand of almost 150 to give them the scent of victory but Duncan Tetley took three wickets to secure the win, with the last pair holding out at 270-9 to deny them the final bowling point.

Oxenhope II kept themselves clear at the top with a convincing eight-wicket victory over third-placed Upper Hopton. On their first visit to Oxenhope, the visitors made a steady start with Turton (47) and France (41) setting up the platform for a big score against a home attack missing both opening bowlers. Youngsters Sam Fleetwood and Callum Holmes kept it tight but failed to make the break through.

That came from Brendan Ellison, who took 4-52 to take out the middle order and leave Hopton on 128-6. A fine 48 from Gallagher propelled the score to a challenging 210-7.

That total looked a lot bigger when Ellison was dismissed with the score still on zero. But that was the last real success for the bowlers as Tom Mawer and captain Craig Bartlett put together a stand of 170 to make the game all but safe. Mawer was finally out for a cultured 73 but the skipper went on to make a chanceless 120 not out with 14 fours and two sixes to seal the victory.