GREG Soames was on fire with bat and ball as visiting Thornton edged out Blackley by 13 runs in the Halifax League Premier Division.

The away side were put in to bat and after losing their openers early, the next six batsmen all made between 26 and 40, the latter a top score by Soames in a total of 219-6.

Soames then claimed 4-59, as Blackley slumped to 108-7. Enter skipper Matthew Britton, who strode to the middle with a solitary intent.

While 220 runs looked out of reach, he made every effort to breach the gap by smashing the Thornton bowlers all over Lindley Road, hitting 81 runs in 36 balls.

The knock came to end however as Josh Hutchinson claimed his wicket – the man-of-the-match last out at 206 all out.

Triangle recovered from 97-5 at Shelf Northowram Hedge Top, as Taylor Swaine (67) and Curtis Whippey (58) ensured a challenging 256-8 was posted.

Only Shelf wicketkeeper Kier Litjens (40) showed much appetite for a fight as Liam Turner (4-54) removed four of the top five.

The hosts hardly helped themselves with two run outs and the innings fizzled out at 138, leaving Triangle with a 118-run win and a retention of top spot.

Great Horton Park Chapel went to the top of the First Division table on the basis of average points per match, after a 36-run victory over Low Moor Holy Trinity at Ewart Street.

The home team took first knock and a 67-run partnership between Nasir Chowdrey (57 not out) and skipper Adam Beasley (48) saw Horton close on 181-7.

The Trinity response was similarly headed by their captain, Lee Broadbent (53), but they slumped from 82-2 to 145 all out to give Horton the maximum return, as Zafar Anwar took 4-32 in his 12 overs.

Oxenhope continue to improve but that elusive first win is proving difficult to achieve.

On this occasion, they went down by five wickets at Luddendenfoot, who got their first win of the year, albeit a 10-pointer.

Lewis Hopkinson (75) and Grahame Ellis (66 not out) shared in a 119 run sixth-wicket partnership to help Oxenhope finish on 208-6.

An opening partnership of 138 runs between Owen Bairstow (92 not out) and Jacob Whitehouse (68) set up the Luddendenfoot innings and despite a mini-collapse, they made it past the Oxenhope total easily enough.

In the Second Division, Augustinians, batting first against Queensbury, managed 159 all out, as skipper Zafar Khan (50) top-scored.

Queensbury’s Damian Cockcroft (4-18) was the pick of their bowlers.

The Queensbury win was solely down to opener Joseph Clough as, had it not been for his 94 not out, an Augustinians victory would have been a certainty.

Clough watched, with some incredulity, from 22 yards as six wickets tumbled, as his side collapsed from 82-2 to 107-8.

Fortunately for him, Sammy Naylor (3 not out) survived 23 balls to allow him to hit the winning runs and ensure his team scraped home at 160-8.

Bradley & Colnebridge had a easy win at home to Cullingworth in a match that produced the only century of the day, as their opener, Iqrar Hussain, hit 115 in 108 balls before being run out.

He featured in a third-wicket partnership of 168 runs with Shahraiz Khan (80) that effectively sealed the win – B & C closing on 242-9.

That proved 130 runs too many for Cullingworth as Zafar Iqbal, introduced as first change, scythed through the visitors' batting with figures of 7-36, the best bowling of the day, to leave Cullingworth on a miserable 112 all out.