By Jamie Harrison 

Skelmanthorpe v Broad Oak

Broad Oak delivered a dominating performance to win against Skelmanthorpe at Lidgett Lane. Despite Paul Cummins’ gritty 48, a collapse from 113 for 5 to 136 all out set a low target for the visitors to pursue.

Alex Slack took 4-38 for Broad Oak, while Dan Taylor and Vinny Dulsara shared six wickets. Skipper Daniel Rushworth led Oak’s response with a mature knock of 69, ensuring a comfortable chase despite a late rally by Skelmanthorpe, who saw Kian Schwartz take 3-22. Broad Oak finished on 137-6, sealing a crucial victory.

Delph & Dobcross v Scholes 

A thrilling tie played out at Huddersfield Road saw Delph & Dobcross deny league leaders Scholes victory. Delph, after being reduced to 68 for 5, rebuilt their innings through Arman Hussain’s crucial 44.

Scholes shared the wickets around, with four bowlers taking two each. In their chase, Scholes stumbled to 28 for 4 before resilient knocks from Tom Brook (44), Yaasir Imtiaz (21), and Ben Tighe (24) brought them close.

However, a dramatic finish saw Stevel Rodney (5-47) and Wasim Qasim (3-64, above) rally to take the final wickets as Scholes fell from 154-6 to 168 all out with just two balls remaining of a compelling match.

Barkisland v Honley

Honley denied Barkisland their first win with a determined away performance. Barkisland’s Matty Weston scored his first century of the season with a controlled 104 off 142 balls, including 14 fours and 3 sixes. Contributions from Nico Georgiou-Nicola (30) and Harry Finch (38) helped Barkisland post 218 for 3 but they weren’t able to put the game out of reach for the visitors.

Honley’s Simon Kelly took 2-53 with the ball and then scored 58 in the chase, supported by Charlie Jakeman’s half-century (51). Despite a middle-order wobble, where they slipped from 146-3 to 183-6, Australian Darcy Munro’s unbeaten 36 ensured Honley reached 221 for 7 with six overs remaining, clinching the win.

Golcar v Shepley

Shepley held their nerve to secure a narrow victory over Golcar in a tense second innings chase. Golcar’s top scorer was Jacob Mulhall with 44, but they were all out for 200 in 43 overs, falling short of utilising their full 50 overs.

Jack Mulhall was the pick of Shepley’s bowlers with 4-43 as the visitors rallied with the ball. Shepley’s chase was anchored by skipper Max Joice (35) and bolstered by Wayne Hughes (29). Despite a badly judged run-out resulting in Hughes’ departure, Shepley were able to find another gear.

The standout performance came from Tom Sanders who finished unbeaten on 51, guiding Shepley to 204 for 8 with only three balls left, and dropping Golcar painfully into the bottom two.

Almondbury Wesleyan v Kirkburton 

Almondbury Wesleyan slipped to their second loss, leaving them third from bottom after Kirkburton claimed a successive win. Almondbury Wesleyans’ innings was highlighted by Nathan Kenworthy (34) and Saqib Matlub (47), who put on a 64-run opening stand, with Pragam Sharma adding a crucial 71 batting at number four.

Despite this solid start, they were pegged back and restricted to 207 for 9 in their 50 overs. Kirkburton’s bowlers, particularly Tom Burkinshaw (3-24) and Andrew Smith (3-44), were instrumental in strangling the home side. In response, Kirkburton reached 210-7 in 37 overs, with an innings built around overseas man Roscoe Tahttil (64) and importantly his brilliant 94-run stand with Kirkburton servant Andrew Smith (35) ultimately secured victory to secure their second win on the bounce. Sharma’s 3-63 was the best of the Wesleyan bowlers.

Hoylandswaine v Moorlands

Hoylandswaine’s match against Moorlands was frustratingly called off due to a waterlogged pitch at Bamford Fieldhouse in Rochdale, where they had temporarily moved fixtures following drainage issues at their home ground