Battling win for champs

Booth started their Spenser Wilson Halifax League title defence with a hard-fought 19-run home victory over Copley.
Actions from SBCI v Triangle cricket at SBCI. Pictured is George HampshireActions from SBCI v Triangle cricket at SBCI. Pictured is George Hampshire
Actions from SBCI v Triangle cricket at SBCI. Pictured is George Hampshire

Rob Laycock picked up where he left off last year with 80 and Wajid (69) and younger brother Rick Laycock (47 no) also scored well as the champs piled up 290 for five.

Copley, beaten by Booth in last year’s Parish Cup final, were in no mood to lie down and Oliver Thorpe spearheaded their reply with an unbeaten 120, coming in at number three.

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Thorpe saw five partners dismissed by Nigel Horsfall as Booth took 11 points.

Jer Lane, who are expected to be major rivals to Booth, took 12 points at Warley, winning by six wickets with over seven overs to spare.

The visitors had two outstanding performers. Saeed Mirza’s seven for 73 dismissed the hosts for 197 after Nolan Bottomley (66) and Matthew Whitworth (42) had put on 90 for the first wicket.

Raqeeb Younis then anchored Lane’s successful reply with 101 not out.

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Ex-Warley bowler Amjid Azam, now at Mytholmroyd, had visitors Northowram Hedge Top on the rack at 19 for seven with a six for 24 haul. Three visitors were out first ball.

A cavalier 48 from Nazim Irshad took the Rams total up to 83 but Royd knocked off the runs in less than 17 overs for the loss of four wickets.

Promoted pair Oxenhope and Sowerby St Peter’s had contrasting fortunes.

Lewis Hopkinson (127 not out) and Craig Bartlett (75) helped Oxenhope amass 307 for four at home to Queensbury, who settled for batting bonus points with a 193 for seven reply.

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Liam Dyson and Scott Mallinson shared the wickets for the hosts.

Sowerby lost by 104 runs at Thornton in spite of a long. accurate spell from Chris Greenwood.

Greenwood took three for 58 off 23 overs but Ross Carnall (70), Mick Shanks (47) and Greg Soames (39) helped the hosts to 212 for nine.

Aiden Green made 40 but Sowerby were polished off for 108 by Brad Weatherhead (four for 16).

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A second wicket stand of 112 between George Hampshire (72) and Simon Wood (62) set up SBCI for an easy 97-run win over visitors Triangle, who whom Liam Turner took five wickets.

Relegated pair Blackley and Sowerby Bridge had comfortable wins and Bridgeholme and Southowram were the other successful sides in Division One on the opening day.

Chris White (four for 49) and Jacob Linsel (six for 46) dismissed visitors Shelf for 144 and an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 83 between Macaulay Shiel (51 no) and Jason Baxter (30) sealed Blackley’s success.

Sowerby Bridge started to put a traumatic 16 months, which started with the Boxing Day floods, behind them with a seven wicket win at Great Horton.

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Horton lost four wickets with their score of 54 en route to an inadequate total of 129.

Chris Kibble’s 70 paved the way for Bridgeholme’s 61-run win away to 10-man Cullingworth while Southowram romped to an eight-wicket home win over Stones after dismissing their visitors for 113.

Illingworth marked their return to the Halifax League after an absence of almost a century with a 161-run win against fellow newcomers Leymoor from Hudderfield.

Put into bat on a helpful wicket the visitors made a watchful start with Calum Cook (26) and James Lawton (48) putting on 61 for the first wicket.

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The visitors slipped to 115 for five but a sixth wicket partnership of 90 between skipper Ben Robertshaw and Stephen Cook, who both hit 44, made the difference as the visitors powered to 219 in 44 overs on a large ground with a slow outfield.

Leymoor slumped to 11 for three and when danger man Dyson (20) was removed courtesy of a terrific running boundary catch by Luke Brooksby, seven wickets fell for the addition of just 17 runs. Jamie Moorhouse finished with seven for 35.

Mount showed they could be a major force with a 99-run home win over Low Moor, Zahoor Munaf’s 140 being the key contribution.

Another of the ex-Huddersfield Association sides, Birchencliffe, beat Luddenden Foot in a close, high-scoring contest while Adam Spendelow’s unbeaten 108 was key in Bradshaw’s 126-run home win over Old Town.

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Alex Dorotiak (five for 11) and Lee Mellor (75 no) hitting ground running in Outlane’s nine-wicket stroll over Greetland at West Vale.

There was another one-sided match at Upper Hopton where the hosts thrashed Clayton by 192 runs, Andrew Gallagher getting the game’s top score with 76.

Premier Division: *Booth 290-5 (Rob Laycock 80, Wajid 69, Ric Laycock 47*), Copley 272-7 pts 11-4; Warley 197 (Bottomley 66, Whitworth 42, Mirza 7-73), *Jer Lane 200-4 (Younas 101*): pts 4-12; Northowram HT 83 (Irshad 48, Azam 6-24), *Mytholmroyd 87-4: pts 1-12; *Oxenhope 307-4 (Hopkinson 127*, Bartlett 75, Ousey 51*, Singh 4-130), Queensbury 193-7: pts 11-4. *SBCI 224-8 (Hampshire 72, S Wood 62, Turner 5-63), Triangle 127: pts 12-3; *Thornton 212-9 (Carnall 70, Shanks 47, Hoyle 4-81), Sowerby St Peter’s 108 (Green 40, Weatherhead 4-16): pts 12-3.

Division One: Shelf 144, *Blackley 148-3: pts 2-12. Bridgeholme 167-9 (Kibble 70), *Cullingworth 106 (Birkill 43, C Welch 41, Ali 4-16): pts 12-4; *Great Horton PC 129, Sowerby Bridge 130-3: pts 1-12; Stones 113, *Southowram 116-2 (Wilkinson 43): pts 1-12.

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Division Two: *Birchencliffe 280-8 (Mohammed 58, Shah 42, Allen 4-35), Luddenden Foot 266-9 (Broadbent 67, Hosker 42): pts 11-5; *Bradshaw 297-5 (Spendelow 108*, Aslam 52, Crowther 43), Old Town 171 (Khan 48,Firth 4-50): pts 12-3; *Greetland 120 (Reynolds 48, Dorotiak 5-11), Outlane 121-1 (Mellor 75*): pts 1-12; Illingworth St Mary’s 220 (Jms Lawton 48, Cook 44, Robertshaw 44, *Leymoor 58 (Moorhouse 7-35): pts 12-3; *Mount 269 (Munaf 140, Jenkins 5-81), Low Moor HT 170 (B Williamson 64, Overend 51, I Patel 4-50): pts 12-5; *Upper Hopton 262-9 (Gallagher 76, Manning 43, Selby 4-100), Clayton 69: pts 12-2.

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