Halifax Cricket League: Premier Division champions, Thornton, who secured their first-ever top-flight title at Mytholmroyd with remarkable ease, following a minor setback. The team found itself in a precarious position at 87-6 before a heroic Josh Hutchinson innings salvaged the situation. Hutchinson’s outstanding performance yielded 109 runs off 68 balls, featuring 8 boundaries and 9 sixes, propelling the score to 211-7 before he was dismissed. The innings concluded at 231-9. Mytholmroyd tried seven different bowlers in an attempt to stem the flow, but Thornton only needed four bowlers in their innings, all of whom were clinical. This resulted in Mytholmroyd being bowled out for a mere 81 runs. Thornton can now proudly claim the historic achievement of securing the League, Parish Cup, and T20 successes in a remarkable treble.
Oxenhope did itself a significant favour in its quest to avoid relegation by securing a 25-run victory over SBCI. The opening pair of Alex Baker and skipper Lewis Hopkinson (62) provided Oxenhope with an excellent start, posting a partnership of 111 runs for the first wicket. Despite staying at the crease for the full 45 overs, Baker fell just short of his century, ending at 92 not out due to the limited overs. Following this initial surge, SBCI managed to contain the runs, and Oxenhope finished their innings at 203-7, with Thomas Wood taking 4-52. SBCI always lagged behind in their chase, and despite Wood’s 46 runs, the sluggish pace was evident with him facing 83 balls. SBCI concluded their innings at 178-9 after 45 overs, with Daniel Scott taking 4-50. Oxenhope now needs a victory at home against Luddendenfoot next Saturday to secure their place in the league and avoid the nerve-wracking possibility of relegation.
Gary Fellows (93), Jack Hargreaves (57), and Stephen Cook (45) led Illingworth St Mary’s run onslaught as they amassed a formidable total of 288-6 at Bradshaw after choosing to bat. Bradshaw, on the other hand, seemed to have little appetite for a battle and found themselves at 43-6, effectively ending the match. They managed to reach only 107 all out, with Luke Brooksby taking an impressive 5-32.
In their home match against Copley, Blackley was asked to bat first and could only muster 166 all out in their efforts to avoid relegation. Sam Mindham played a crucial role with 59 runs, while Ian Hartley took 4-36. The highlight of Copley’s innings was opener Alex Rowles, who was simply outstanding. Despite the efforts of six Blackley bowlers, they couldn’t dismiss him as he scored a splendid century, remaining unbeaten at 102, including 14 boundaries and 5 sixes. Copley achieved victory in the 38th over with a total of 172-3.
At Walton Street, Booth, the visiting team, was restricted to 157-8 by Sowerby Bridge. Ric Laycock contributed with a half-century, scoring 53 runs, while Liam Turner took 5-34. Sowerby Bridge found their batting equally challenging, but with the assistance of Razwan Saghir’s 52, they successfully completed the chase with two overs to spare, ending at 161-8. Patrick Thomas took 4-50 in the process.
Tom Scott delivered an outstanding performance for Luddendenfoot, achieving a career-best figure of 7-33 against the visiting team, Triangle. As a result, Triangle was dismissed for a mere 73 runs in the 28th over. Despite having lost three consecutive matches, Luddendenfoot struggled to break that streak but eventually reached a winning total of 74-6, despite the impressive efforts of Edward Denham, who took 5-43.
