A century by Will Fraine (above) was just what the doctor ordered for Honley, but they were still made to pay by Hoylandswaine who won a frantic contest. Broad Oak covertly climbed to third with a win at bottom-placed Thongsbridge. Leaders Moorlands crushed Shepley at Marsh Lane but Skelmanthorpe kept up their Byrom Shield interest with victory at home to Almondbury Wesleyans. Elsewhere, Scholes and Kirkburton ticked off easy home victories.
Honley’s morale was boosted by the return of Yorkshire’s Will Fraine, but his hundred was unable to prevent them sliding to their fifth straight defeat at home to Hoylandswaine. The home-grown Yorkshire player compiled a splendid 101-ball 124, providing the fulcrum of Honley’s 211-6 from 36 overs. Captain Danny Howard’s 24 runs - the second highest scoring batsman -,such was the dominance of Fraine’s appearance and with the visitors reduced to 58-4, a first win in nine attempts looked on the cards. With a DLS target of 235 from 50 overs put up, Swaine’s Duncan Brown (54) and Sarjinder-Pal Singh (39no, above) preyed on the inexperienced Honley attack. Joel Size claimed an expensive 4-79 and Hoylandswaine’s Adam Sylvester provided the coup-de-grâce with a brutal 61 scored from 33 balls to take them over the line for 236-7.
Broad Oak climbed into third by comfortably defeating Thongsbridge at Miry Lane. Adam France (4-48, above) and Cameron Todd (3-52) were nuisances with the ball for Oak as the home side were dismissed for 163 in a match reduced to 36 overs. Alex Kemp’s 55 demonstrated some fight but his bowlers failed to carry the same menace as the visitors’. Oak opener Dominic Finn and Todd both hit half-centuries as Oak smoothly knocked off their target for the loss of one wicket.
Jack Newby (above) brought on-form Almondbury Wesleyans crashing down with a bump at title-chasing Skelmanthorpe. Newby slammed an unbeaten 122 from 93 balls which was followed up by a remorseless 87 from 49 balls by Prayash Kumar Singh as Skelmanthrope racked up 266 from 32 overs. Wes’s Daniel Moorhouse scored a half-century which earned a point by replying with 213-9. Kian Schwartz collected 3-27 for the hosts.
Premiership leaders Moorlands hammered Shepley in a swiftly completed match, finished in just 38 overs. Hosts Shepley were shot out for 84 with spinner Siraj Sajid (above) bagging 5-9, whilst new signing (from rivals Skelmanthorpe) Tawkal Zadran took 4-31 on debut. It was never a score likely to test the rampant table-toppers and they replied with 88-2 with opener Shoukat Ali blasting 47.
Improving Scholes dismantled Barkisland by ten wickets at Chapelgate with Bradley Birkhead (above) getting into T20 ‘beast mode’. Scholes scythed through the Barkisland ranks, dismissing them for 140, with Ben Tighe helping himself to 6-24 while Australian Charlie Mitchell (47) top scored for the visitors. Birkhead was sent forward to open the batting, in anticipation for their upcoming T20 Semi-Final with Hoylandswaine, and quickly crashed 77 from 49 balls during a faultless reply.
Tom Burkinshaw (above) snatched four wickets as second-bottom Mirfield Parish were harried away at Kirkburton. The seasoned opening bowler collected 4-35 and his opening partner Jack Byrne got 3-26 as Parish checked out on 126ao. Roscoe Tahttil built on Jack Kelly’s earlier groundwork after the Aussie opener scored 37. Sri-Lankan all-rounder Tahttil hit an unbeaten 44 in a reduced-to 111-3 reply.
