Augustinians emerged as the frontrunners, ascending to the top of the division for the first time in their history. They secured a hard-fought victory against Bridgeholme at their home ground, triumphing by three wickets.
Opting to bat first, the visitors suffered the early loss of two wickets. However, a collective effort from the subsequent batters, including Tuffique Butt’s notable 44 runs, propelled them to a respectable total of 198 all out in 41.2 overs.
The Augustinians bowlers exhibited excellent skills, with five of them claiming two wickets each.
In response, the home team’s pursuit of victory was led by Nasir Awan’s patient and unbeaten knock of 63 runs. Awan’s resilient performance guided his team to a thrilling triumph, reaching 199-7 and securing the top spot in the league standings.
At Cullingworth, a rematch of the recent Parish Cup quarter-final took place, pitting Queensbury against the home team. Queensbury sought redemption after their previous defeat and achieved it convincingly, crushing the opposition by a commanding 109 runs.
Batting first, Queensbury compiled an imposing total of 251-7 in their allotted 45 overs. Steven Priestley stood out with an outstanding unbeaten score of 85, well-supported by Oliver Challis, who contributed 43 runs. Cullingworth’s batting line-up struggled against Gareth Walker’s formidable bowling, as he claimed all five initial victims, with only opener Ben Burkill managing to score 40 runs.
Walker continued his excellent spell, adding three more wickets to finish with career-best figures of 8 for 46. Cullingworth’s innings crumbled to a mere 142 all out, resulting in a loss of their leading position in the league standings. Queensbury now sits in third place, trailing second-placed Keighley by a single point.
One player left disappointed on the day was Ryan Brook from Sowerby St Peter’s. Despite exceptional unbeaten innings of 96 runs off just 57 balls, including 9 boundaries and 6 maximums, he fell agonizingly short of his maiden century. Due to the closure of the Sowerby innings after 30 overs, Brook was deprived of the opportunity to achieve the coveted three-figure milestone.
Another notable contribution came from Keon Dalladay, who missed out on his own century, getting caught out on 89. Sowerby closed their innings at an impressive 279-5, scoring at a rapid rate of 9.3 runs per over. Outlane displayed resilience in their pursuit of the formidable target, with Farrukh Sultan’s outstanding unbeaten knock of 127 runs off 91 balls. However, lacking support from other batsmen, Outlane fell short, finishing their innings at 206-7.
A remarkable coincidence occurred at Stones, where they faced off against Old Town in a match reduced to 35 overs. Both teams witnessed a centurion performance, as Gary Hulme from Stones and Sagher Shaheen from Old Town achieved unbeaten scores of 103 runs each.
Hulme’s innings came amidst a collapse of partners, with Jahinger Khan wreaking havoc on the Stones’ top order, claiming impressive figures of 5 for 14. However, it was Shaheen’s heroic effort that propelled Old Town to victory, as they comfortably reached their target of 176-2 in just 25.1 overs.
