Birkby Rose Hill, negotiating a tough second season in the Championship, survived a severe inquest to emerge victorious away at Armitage Bridge and climb out of the relegation zone. Thongsbridge maintained their perfect record as they saw off Shelley. Rastrick’s promotion hopes received a boost at home to Mirfield Parish who have new concerns as they fell into the bottom two. Linthwaite and Marsden ground out priceless wins on the road and Denby clipped the wings of high flying Slaithwaite who self-destructed at home to drop down from second.
Birkby Rose Hill clinched a thrilling 2-wicket victory against Armitage Bridge, marking their second win of the season and moving out of the relegation zone. Armitage Bridge, batting first, struggled to a modest 87 all out in 34.2 overs, with Jaycub Curtling’s unbeaten 43 being the only substantial contribution. Birkby’s Muhammed Munsaf (above) and Muhammad Suleman shone with the ball, taking 3 for 8 and 3 for 30 respectively. Despite a superb bowling effort from Connor Parr, who claimed 6 for 30, Birkby managed to scrape to 89 for 8 in 22.4 overs, thanks to Kamran Maroof’s crucial 19 runs.
Rastrick defeated Mirfield Parish Cavaliers by 4 wickets, moving into second place in the table. Mirfield Parish, batting first, collapsed to 101 all out in 31.1 overs despite Sam Scott’s 38. Shrikant Wagh (4 for 25) and Abbas Ahmed (3 for 19) led the bowling attack for Rastrick. Rastrick then reached 105 for 6 in 26.4 overs, with Jacob Waterson’s 33 (above) being the highlight of their innings. The defeat drops Mirfield Parish into the relegation zone after a dramatic collapse from 78 for 4 to 89 for 8.
Thongsbridge maintained their perfect record with an 8-wicket win over Shelley, extending their lead at the top of the table. Shelley managed 184 for 9 in their 50 overs, with opener Greg Alexander scoring 42 and Muhammad Afridi 39. Thongsbridge’s Zafar Iqbal (above) took 3 for 35, with support from three bowlers who shared two wickets each. In response, Thongsbridge cruised to 185 for 2 in 30.3 overs, with opener Rory France unbeaten on 60 and wicketkeeper Nathan Schoultz scoring 87 not out, ensuring their sixth consecutive win of the season.
Marsden pulled off a dramatic 1-wicket victory against luckless Lascelles Hall, recovering from a precarious 50 for 7 to chase down 146 with just one wicket remaining. Lascelles Hall posted 142 all out in 38.1 overs, with opener Tom Addy scoring 40. Marsden’s bowlers, Sam Roberts and Matt O’Sullivan were outstanding, taking 3 for 31 and 5 for 40 respectively. In reply, Rizwan Ali and Ali Raza staged a remarkable lower-order fightback, scoring 24 and 52 to turn the tide of the game. Asif Patel’s 4 for 17 and Tom Wightman’s 3 for 43 weren’t enough to prevent Marsden’s late surge, leaving Lascelles Hall rock-bottom and nine points adrift from safety.
Linthwaite secured a narrow 11-run victory over Meltham, lifting themselves to mid-table. Batting first, Linthwaite were bowled out for 125 in 37.4 overs, with Zahed Ahmed (37) and Qaiser Rashid (36) making key contributions. Meltham’s James Sunderland (4 for 28) and George Sykes Kenworthy (3 for 23) were effective with the ball. In response, Meltham’s Ely Van Der Merwe scored a valiant 66, but his side was bowled out for 114 in 31.3 overs. Bilal Ounees (3 for 15) and Mohammad Hassan (4 for 6) were instrumental in Linthwaite’s bowling effort.
Denby triumphed over Slaithwaite by 68 runs, claiming their third win of the season and moving up to sixth in the table. Denby posted an attritional 187 for 7 in their 50 overs, with Surender Singh (36), Jack Jones (24 not out), and Tariq Mahmood (25 not out) carefully plotting valuable contributions. Slaithwaite’s Liam Ambler took 3 for 19 as his team struggled to break down Denby’s stoic innings. In reply, Slaithwaite were all out for 119 in 30.2 overs, with skipper Ben Tyler top-scoring with 27. Denby’s Surender Singh also excelled with the ball, taking 4 for 52. Slaithwaite’s fall from 73 for 4 to 88 for 7 proved costly, dropping them out of the promotion places.
