Shepley secured local bragging rights over Skelmanthorpe in a high-scoring derby. Indian overseas player Sahaj Chadha's unbeaten century (125) was the cornerstone of their victory. Reigning champions Moorlands cruised to an 8-wicket win over Almondbury Wesleyan. Scholes cruised past winless Broad Oak, with Paul Nasser's 3 wickets proving decisive. Kirkburton dominated Golcar at Riley Lane thanks to Matthew Crookes' century and Honley squeezed out Delph & Dobcross. Barkisland’s talented young side fell short in a high-scoring encounter against the power and nous of Hoylandswaine on a warm week two of the season.
Shepley claimed local bragging rights with a convincing 26-run victory over Skelmanthorpe in a thrilling derby clash between two neighbouring village teams. Their new Indian overseas player, Sahaj Chadha, was the star of the show, crafting a classy century (125 not out) with 13 boundaries and 3 sixes. Prayesh Kumar Singh provided support with 3 wickets for 41 runs. Skelmanthorpe fought back admirably, with Jack Newby, the league's top run scorer from the past two seasons, contributing a valuable 39 runs. Faisal Usman also provided late impetus with a quickfire 39 batting at number 10. However, it wasn't enough as Skelmanthorpe fell short, dismissed for 208 runs. Tom Sanders led the Shepley bowling attack with a five-wicket haul, while experienced bowler Danny Glover and spinner Musa Ahmed chipped in with two wickets each.
The reigning champions, Moorlands, put down their title credentials with a dominant 8-wicket win against Almondbury Wesleyan. Chasing a total of 182, Moorlands made light work of the target, reaching it with 17 overs to spare. Pragam Sharma followed up his century from last week with a solid 52 for Wes, while Jon Rudge led the bowling attack with 4-77. Moorlands' spin duo of Zin Ul Abdin and former Wesleyan player Dan Moorhouse shared six wickets between them. Marcus Walmsley anchored the chase with an unbeaten 87, guiding his team to a comfortable victory.
Scholes secured a routine 6-wicket victory in a low-scoring encounter at home to Broad Oak. Paul Nasser was the hero for Scholes, taking 3 wickets for 46 runs while Louis Brook and Yaasir Imtiaz chipped in with 2 wickets each. Broad Oak captain Dan Rushworth top-scored with a valiant 33, but their batting lineup faltered all innings, collapsing for 144 runs. In reply, Bradley Birkhead led the Scholes chase with a well-made 47. Valuable contributions from Benji Birkhead (31) and Zawandi White (31) ensured their team crossed the finish line with half the innings remaining.
Barkisland put a competitive total of 212 on the board, with contributions from Jasper Male (47) and a well-compiled 71 not out from Cameran Van Rensburg. Umer Yaqoob was the pick of the Hoylandswaine bowlers, claiming 3 wickets for 66 runs. However, Hoylandswaine chased down the target comfortably thanks to a solid third-wicket partnership of 103 runs between Furqan Shafiq (61) and Kamran Ghulam (65 not out), securing a comfortable 7-wicket victory.
Delph and Dobcross batted first away at Honley and found themselves in early trouble at 13-3. Montserrat import Stevel Rodney steadied the ship with a well-made 53, helping them reach a respectable total of 122 all out. However, a disciplined bowling performance from Honley saw them collapse from a promising position of 106-5. Melbourne's Darcy Munro was the wrecker-in-chief with a five-wicket haul for just 32 runs, while spinner Lewis Kenworthy chipped in with 4 wickets for 31 runs. Honley chased down the target with 4 wickets remaining, with Timmy Taylor contributing 31.
The first of two back-to-back matches between these sides, ahead of their Heavy Woollen Cup clash, saw Kirkburton secure a resounding 63-run victory at home to newly promoted Golcar. Matthew Crookes dominated his team’s innings with a brilliant century (106 off 98 balls), peppering boundaries with 5 fours and 9 sixes. Despite a promising start of 56-0 by Golcar, their new signing Yashoda Mendis (3-51) was the only bowler to find consistent success. Opener James Howson's 30 was a lone bright spot as Golcar crumbled to 152 all out, with ‘Burton’s spin specialist John Keeling (4-50) and Andy Smith (3-38) sharing the spoils for Kirkburton.
