KEIGHLEY’S double weekend culminated in a Priestley Cup win against Premier League side Batley at Lawkholme.

Batley won the toss and elected to bat on the same track that had produced nearly 450 runs the previous day.

But the away team had not taken into account the form of overseas Noah McFadyen and leg spinner James Massheder.

McFadyen firstly ripped out the top and middle order finishing with 4-23, then Massheder finished things off with 4-41.

Keighley’s keeper Adam Smith also had a great day behind the stumps taking five victims including a stumping; Batley being dismissed for a lowly 129 on a good batting track.

In reply, a cautious start saw Keighley lose two early wickets but it was McFadyen yet again with the bat who turned things around. His excellent 63 not out (including two sixes) backed with Ben Helmsley’s 26 not out saw the home side to a fine victory by six wickets and into the next round.

Keighley lost by 13 runs to lowly East Ardsley on Saturday in their Gordon Rigg Bradford Premier League One match.

East Ardsley skipper Louie Hurley won the toss and opted to bat first on a good batting track. Despite an early wicket for Noah McFadyen (1-27) opener James Van Der Merwe (53) and Muhammed Tariq put on 120 for the second wicket before Paul Quinlan (2-40) removed Van Der Merwe.

But with East Ardsley now well set Keighley skipper Scott Etherington turned to his spin pairing of Simon Bailey (2-32) and James Massheder and it was Massheder that turned the East Ardsley innings with an impressive display of leg spinning that firstly removed the dangerous Tariq for 75 but went on to take a four further wickets finishing with 5-65 as the away team were dismissed for 225.

With the East Ardsley attack bowling tight lines the Keighley batsmen toiled in the early evening light. Five of the top six batsmen got starts with useful contributions from McFadyen (32), Nathan Storton (32) and Ben Helmsley (38) but with the required run rate increasing each over no one could manufacture that all important winning knock and the home team closed on 212-9, 14 runs short of victory.

A depleted Keighley second XI lost on Saturday at third place Northowram.

Batting first, opener Steve Elliot (53) and James Norcliffe (65) set up Northowram up.

Keighley’s young spinners helped to suppress the innings to 198-7 with Louie Wilkinson again impressing with 3-55 and Mohammed Abbas chipping in with 3-70.

Keighley’s reply got off to a bad start losing two quick wickets but consistent Humayan Shahzad (38) and a fine knock from Abbas (66) got Keighley in touching distance of the win. The last five overs proved fatal as wickets fell cheaply with Keighley all out for 182, 17 runs short of victory.