OAKWORTH have earned their first ever promotion in the ENCO Halifax League.
They spent 44 years in the Craven League, but made the move ahead of the 2023 season, and came sixth in their debut campaign.
They have done even better second time around, and Saturday saw them promoted as runners-up from the Second Division.
They ended the season on a winning note too, defeating visiting Bridgeholme by 148 runs.
Jake Keslinke was in top form with 101 not out, aided by Jack Davison’s 52, as 236-6 was scored.
Bridgeholme have struggled for runs for most of their matches, and this was no different as they could only manage 88, with four home bowlers sharing the wickets.
Sowerby St Peter’s, needing just four points to finish top, cruised to the title with a comfortable nine-wicket home win against Mount.
Stones went up alongside St Peter’s and Oakworth, rubberstamping their promotion with a six-run victory over Outlane.
Cullingworth finished fourth, winning at home to Old Town by three wickets but missing out on promotion by an agonising 11 points.
The Town batted first and only posted 122, with James Bloodworth taking 5-59.
In reply, the hosts also struggled for runs in the face of some fine bowling from Yasir Saleem (5-26) and when the scoreboard read 54-7, the odds were on a Town victory.
However, Bilal Khalid (34no) and Phil Poole Jnr (29no) had other ideas and they pushed their team over the line with an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership of 69.
Visitors Leymoor were asked to bat first on their visit to Queensbury and scored 156, with the innings dominated by Matt Bowerman (75no) as Khalid Mahmood took 4-39.
Queensbury’s Will Mackay saw his side home, but he was left stranded on 97 not out as the hosts reached a winning 161-6 to end the season in fifth place.
Bradshaw escaped relegation from the Premier Division by defeating visitors Warley & Elland by eight runs, having been stuck in the bottom two for all but the end of the last day.
That meant a gutted Sowerby Bridge went down with already-relegated Luddendenfoot.
Bridge had a nightmare final afternoon, losing by 114 runs at SBCI after being bowled out for just 102.
Meanwhile, Illingworth St Mary’s gained consolation for their Parish Cup final defeat by beating champions Thonrton at The Ainleys, by five wickets.
Only Max Rawson (72) and Matthew Wear (67no) came to real terms with the six-pronged home attack, all of whom took wickets, as Thornton closed on 221.
In reply, three St Mary’s batters finished the season in style as Matthew Smith (73), Gary Fellows (68) and Jamie Moorhouse (43no) scored the bulk of their runs in a winning score of 223-5.
Booth’s Mathew Brown (97) was caught and bowled against visiting Oxenhope, just needing three runs for his maiden century.
He top-scored as the home team posted 273-7, with Ric Laycock adding 61 not out.
Oxenhope could only respond with 147, Will Rankin (47) and Matthew Morgan (4-45) featuring.
That comfortably win for Booth meant they finished the season as runners-up with 211 points, while Oxenhope faded after a bright start to the year and came seventh.
The match at Shelf Northowram Hedge Top featured two maiden centuries, one for each team, as Copley visited.
First to reach three figures was Copley’s Matthew Rowles, batting at No.7.
When he arrived at the crease the score stood at 72-5 but, he and Ibbi Mir (52) led a stirring fightback.
Rowles hit a brutal 109 not out in 77 balls as Copley closed on 303-7.
Not to be outshone, Hedge Top’s opener Keir Litjens scored 123 not out but no batter could stay with him long enough and the innings closed on 239-7.
The First Division programmed ended last weekend, with Clayton going up as champions alongside Upper Hopton, while the only side to be relegated were Augustinians.
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