EIGHT batsmen scored centuries on Saturday in the Craven League, and the Keighley area led the way with six of the centurions.

Silsden and Glusburn had two each, with Riddlesden and Ingrow II adding to the tally.

The Cobbydalers won the toss at Cononley in Division Two and scored an imposing 288-2, with wicket-keeper Ben Sugden batting throughout the innings to score exactly 100 not out.

Joining him in the three-figure category was No.3 Robert Jones, who made 116, as he and Sugden added 197 for the second wicket.

Cellar dwellers Cononley were 81-6 in reply as Joshua Waind (5-23) cut through their top and middle order, but the home side did well to reach 165, courtesy of Harry Parker (42) and Anthony Haigh (37no).

Thornton-in-Craven opted to field at third-placed Glusburn in Division Three and were on the wrong end of a 268-3 scoreline as opener Matthew Lloyd batted the whole 40 overs to score 101 not out off 104 balls.

He found a more rapid ally in Steve Brown, whose 117 came off just 69 balls, with the pair putting on 171 for the second wicket.

Wicket-keeper Jonny Martin made 47 opening affairs for the visitors, but only David Wolfe (27no) also topped 20 as they were dismissed for 140, with Irfan Khaliq their chief destroyer with 5-22.

Riddlesden, used to topping 250, made 275-3 after winning the toss and batting at home to 10-man Cowling II in the same division.

Wicket-keeper Naveed Hassan made 105 of those.

Cowling were then rolled over for 63 by the leaders, as Mohammed Zulfiqar returned the outstanding figures of 6-7.

Ingrow II won the toss in their Division Four match against Hepworth & Idle III at Cambing, and chose to bat, racking up 280-8, with Graham Rankin, in the middle order, making 110 off just 66 balls before retiring.

Kamran Azami did well to take 3-30 amid the carnage and he then scored 33 as Hepworth & Idle scored 112-8, with Naz Qasam taking 3-27.

In Division One, title-chasing Cowling were in danger of falling to their fifth defeat of the season when they lost five cheap wickets chasing 191 for victory at home to Embsay.

However, the hosts were rescued by Naqi Hassan (68no), Zahid Hussain (44) and the classy Ajmal Choudhry (45no), as they triumphed by four wickets with 23 balls to spare.

Earlier Laiq Ur Rehman took 3-10 as the wickets were shared around in Embsay’s innings.

Haworth, a place behind Cowling in third, were never in danger at home to Hepworth & Idle, clocking up 212-4 after winning the toss.

Dan Trowers starred with 69 not out after Jamie Rowell had made 45 and wicket-keeper Pete Gower 43.

Jacob Hudson then took 3-45 and Rowell 3-24 as the Bradford visitors were dismissed for 102.

Ingrow are starting to put distance between themselves and the bottom two with only four matches now left.

They won the toss and batted at home to Sutton, one of the sides below them, making 168-4, with Joe Hoyle (70no) being another to bat through the innings.

Sutton were then castled for 76, with captain David Snowden continuing his fine form with 35.

Shahid Ajmal proved virtually unplayable with 5-7, with Ben Pursey taking 4-16.

In Division Two, Toby Priestley carried on his golden season for Denholme, scoring 60 not out as they won the toss and batted at Bingley Congs II, making 174-5.

Congs were then bowled out for 137, collapsing from 125-6 as Priestley took 4-30.

Bradley, just three points behind Denholme in third, won the toss and chose to field at home to Bradford & Bingley III, dismissing them for 124 as Toby Meynell (4-9) caused chaos.

Bradley were in trouble at 18-3 before Zain Naeem (73) carried them towards a four-wicket victory in a knock that lasted only 32 balls.

Silsden are fourth and Airedale ninth, with the latter winning a low-scoring derby against Long Lee that featured two batting collapses.

Hosts Airedale went from 75-2 to 94 all out after skipper Alec Pue (24) had seemingly set them on the way to a decent score.

However, they reckoned without Ian Roberts (3-28) and Shahbaz Ahmed (3-12).

Long Lee were 35-0 and 69-3 but lost their last seven wickets for just 14 to go down by 11 runs as Saqib Javaid took 4-4 and Warren Coppack registered 3-29

Openers Zaffran Ghaffar (25) and captain Mark Day (22) had given Long Lee plenty of hope but it all went wrong at the end.

In Division Three, Oakworth II dented Embsay II’s hopes of finishing in the top two in their last season before joining the Nidderdale League.

Visitors Embsay made 170-8 but Oakworth won by four wickets off the first ball of the 37th over as Liam Humphries scored a run-a-ball 67 not out.

Under-14 Tom Rowell (5-37) triggered a landslide of wickets as Wilsden II went from 140-3 to 152 all out, but that was still 40 too many for hosts Haworth II.

Opener Matt Wooding (33) and skipper and keeper Paul Stephens (28no) did their best for the home side.

Sutton II, who are bottom of the table, were no match for visitors Hepworth & Idle II, who had two centurions in their 232-1 – openers Mark Davies (106) and Jack Bedford (109no).

The home side could only make 90 in reply, of which opener Stuart Tillotson scored 40.

Division Four leaders Long Lee II were handed a concession by Bradley II, while Glusburn II conceded to second-placed Gargrave II.

One match that did take place saw Oakworth III defeat Keighley III by 71 runs.

Keighley elected to field and Oakworth made 191-9, with No 3 Subhaan Ahmed hitting 89 off 100 balls.

The under-17 found a great partner in under-15 Elis Jones, whose 69 came off just 63 balls, as they added 114 for the third wicket, with loanee Daniel Kenealy taking 5-33.

Keighley could only reply with 120, Waleed Mehboob being a shining light in the middle order with 47 as Sultan Khan took 3-52 and Amin Khan grabbed 3-24.