Promotion-hunting Armitage Bridge survived a spirited comeback by Marsden and their talisman Ali Raza by a whisker as they registered their fourth win in the day’s closest match. Meltham saw off Birkby Rose Hill to rise to mid-table safety thanks to George Sykes Kenworthy’s six wicket blast. Table-topping Thongsbridge asserted revenge on Mirfield Parish in a powerful performance and Slaithwaite slammed the Championship’s largest total at hapless Lascelles Hall. Linthwaite also spectacularly unravelled against the bowling of Nadim Hussain as Rastrick marched on. Shelley edged out Denby in a high-scoring affair.
Armitage Bridge secured their fourth consecutive victory in a close encounter against Marsden. Bridge batted first, with Blair McKenzie (36no, above) and captain Chris Dennison (23) leading the way with crucial contributions. Marsden's bowling attack, spearheaded by Ali Raza's five-wicket haul and Rizwan Ali's three wickets, restricted Bridge to 129 all out. In reply, Marsden looked on course for an unlikely victory as Ali Raza (34) batted well at number nine to recover from 89-8. However, an icy bowling performance from Bridge, with Chris Dennison claiming three wickets and Jaycub Curtling taking four, saw them scrape home to victory by a run. Their dramatic win keeps Bridge in the promotion hunt.
Meltham tightened their grip on a mid-table spot with a convincing victory over a struggling Birkby Rose Hill side containing new signing and former Hoylandswaine and Moorlands man Gharib Nawaz (above). Ely Van Der Merwe's knock of 38 runs laid the foundation for Meltham's 162 all out. Birkby's bowling attack fought back with Khalil Ullah Khan and Mohammad Suleman claiming three wickets each. However, their batting faltered against a potent Meltham bowling attack led by George Sykes Kenworthy's match-winning six-wicket haul. Ibrar Hussain chipped in with three wickets as Birkby were dismissed for just 72 runs, slipping into the relegation zone.
Slaithwaite continued their dominant run at the top of the table with a crushing victory against rock-bottom Lascelles Hall. Their batting firepower was on full display with Ben Dale (75), Joe Hardcastle (46), Ahmed Khabir (69), and Liam Ambler (39 not out) all contributing valuable runs. Lascelles Hall's Gavin Smith (above) was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets. Despite a spirited effort from Joel Barnett (70), Lascelles Hall were bowled out for 162 runs. Slaithwaite's Ahmed Khabir continued his fine form with a four-wicket haul, while Liam Ambler and Janaid Tanwir chipped in with two wickets each. Slaithwaite maintain their position in the top two with this dominant display, while Lascelles Hall find themselves seven points adrift of safety.
Linthwaite's batting woes continued as they were skittled out for 82 runs at home to in-form Rastrick. Former Moorlands all-rounder Nadim Hussain's devastating bowling spell (above), claiming five wickets for just eight runs, was the main cause of their downfall. Shrikant Wagh and Jordan Ghani also chipped in with wickets for Rastrick. However, their pursuit wasn't without hiccups. Linthwaite bowlers fought back to restrict Rastrick to 83-6, with Fahid Rehman's unbeaten 46 the anchor of their innings. A win that sees Rastrick maintain their position in joint second place alongside Slaithwaite and Armitage Bridge.
Thongsbridge avenged their Sykes Cup exit with a decisive victory over Mirfield Parish Cavaliers. Thongsbridge set an imposing total of 257 all out in 48 overs, thanks to significant contributions from Rory France (44, above), Ben Raven-Hill (62), and top-scorer Nathan Schoultz (81). Mirfield Parish's Hashim Wajid claimed impressive figures of 6-53. In response, Mirfield Parish could only muster 154 all out in 44 overs, with Nick Sharp top-scoring with 39. Vikas Dixit was the star with the ball for Thongsbridge, taking 5-15, maintaining their four-point lead at the top of the table.
Shelley secured their third win of the season with a compelling victory at home to Denby. The hosts flexed their batting muscle with Mohammad Khuzaifa (36) and Muhammad Afridi's quickfire 70 runs off just 48 balls providing a strong foundation. Denby's bowlers, with Rizwan Malik and Surender Singh claiming three wickets each, did well to restrict Shelley to 238 all out. In reply, Denby fought hard with Hashir Khan (71) and Osman Butt (64) leading the way. However, Afridi's four-wicket haul and Josh Holling's three wickets proved too much for the visitors, who were restricted to 213-9. Shelley leapfrogged Denby into fifth place in the table following the win.
