HAWORTH had a comfortable start to their Timothy Taylor’s Craven League season, defeating Denholme by eight wickets in a Keighley derby in Wynn Cup Group A.

Hosts Denholme were asked to bat, but could only muster 95, about a third of which were scored by No.6 Ryan Clark (33).

Darren Ellerton (3-22) and James Roper (3-20), the fifth and sixth bowlers used, were the most successful for Haworth.

Keeper Pete Gower then scored 53 not out off 73 balls, including six fours, as the Brontelanders won in the 24th over.

You would think that it would be advantage bowlers after a wet spring, but both sides scored over 200 in three matches.

The biggest aggregate was 430 at Silsden in Group B.

Silsden won the toss and batted, but were 57-3 before the middle and lower order propelled them to 213-5 off their 40 overs against Hepworth & Idle.

Tom Greenwood (83no) was the star of the show with the bat for the Cobbydalers, but the Westfield Laners chased that imposing total down to win by three wickets with 16 balls to spare.

Next best aggregate was the 428 at Cowling in Group A, where the home side made 223-6 after being sent in by Skipton CI, with Danish Hameed (70no) and Rahman Ali (84) being chiefly responsible for that total.

CI finished on 205 all out, with Laiq Ur Rehman bagging 4-27, while team-mates Junaid Gulnawaz and Martyn Dalby took two wickets apiece.

Keighley News: Martyn Dalby took a couple of key wickets for Cowling in their high-scoring win over Skipton CI.Martyn Dalby took a couple of key wickets for Cowling in their high-scoring win over Skipton CI. (Image: Andy Garbutt.)

The other instance of 200 plus for each team came in Group B, where home side Thornton-in-Craven totalled 203-7 after being sent in by Sutton.

After a terrible beginning, with four wickets going down cheaply as Caleb Gledhill (4-52) got to work, David Holt (92) and keeper James Mellin (55) pulled the innings round in splendid style.

However, opener Sam Solley (80) got Sutton off to a flier and the visitors won by three wickets at the end of the 34th over.

Elsewhere in Group B, Gargrave triumphed at a canter at Cononley, who could only make 120 after being given first knock.

Cononley’s innings was in tatters at 41-6 before Zabihullah Kareemi smashed 53 not out off only 22 balls, hitting five sixes along the way.

Gargrave were not put off by that onslaught, as they won by eight wickets in the 24th over.

Riddlesden v Airedale and Ingrow v Bradley did not start in Group A, and neither did Long Lee v Glusburn in Group B.

In the John Clayton Cup, which is also played over a maximum of 80 overs, Haworth II had an afternoon to forget.

Visitors Menston IV made 150 after being sent in, Matthew Verdeyen returning 4-29.

Haworth were then dismissed for 37, Paul Stephens top-scoring with 15 before being run out.

Silsden II only scored 88 against Airedale, after winning the toss in a game that was switched to the Cobbydalers’ ground on Sunday.

The Airedale wickets were shared between Asher Nutting, Josh Coppack (both 3-25) and Scott Whittam-Ritchie (3-7), but the trio’s batsmen let them down, with the visitors castled for only 63 in reply, Kieran Lawrence and Finlay Nixon-Snowden leading the way with 3-9 and 3-10 respectively.

There were comfortable victories for Glusburn II and Sutton II.

Hepworth & Idle III elected to bat at Glusburn, but were dismissed for 64, with Rafaqat Hussain bagging 3-1 as the sixth bowler used.

Mark Johnston then played a captain’s knock of 34 not out as the hosts won by seven wickets in the 18th over.

Sutton made good use of winning the toss, dismissing visitors Denholme II for just 69 in the 31st over.

The wickets were shared between Jack Middleton (3-9), Charlie Whitaker (4-14) and Laurence Powell (3-8), as Denholme collapsed from 67-4.

Opener Stuart Tillotson (27no) then anchored the reply as Sutton won by eight wickets in the 21st over.

Only two matches of the five scheduled in the T20 Cowling Cup got underway, with Bradley II and Cowling II emerging victorious.

Bradley, sent in by visitors Ingrow II, made 130-5, with Luke Watson (48) the chief contributor, hitting four fours and four sixes.

Opening bowlers John Allott (2-13) and Tobias Hartley (2-18) did the best for Ingrow.

In reply, Ingrow made 104-7, led by Allott’s 31 not out at No.7, with Hamza Ayub returning 3-25.

Cowling II scored 97 after being sent in by Hepworth & Idle II at Westfield Lane, Haseeb Majid leading the way with a 30-ball 36.

H&I replied with 67 as Majid bagged 3-12 and sixth bowler used Sajid Shafait 3-3.

The double-header matches at Menston V were called off, with Long Lee II and Keighley III the visitors.