IT WAS all change at the top of the Premiership as Honley beat long-time leaders Delph & Dobcross, while Daniel Del Prete must wonder just what he has to do to get Clayton West into the top flight.
The Australian grabbed a magnificent nine wickets – and scored 30 runs – but still finished on the losing side as Championship joint leaders Clayton West blew a great chance to lay claim to a Premiership place next season.
But the big drama came in the top flight, where reigning champions Honley showed they are not prepared to let go of the Byrom Shield without a real scrap as they knocked over Delph & Dobcross, who had been heading the table since early June.
And that defeat for the leaders allowed the other main title-chasers Kirkburton to leapfrog Delph into top spot, thanks to their seven-wicket win over fourth-placed Golcar, whose slim chances have now gone.
Over at Honley, Simon Kelly (104) and Max Joice (76) put on 177 for the second wicket as the home side looked set to plunder a hefty total, before Arron Lilley struck four late blows just as Kelly and Joice looked set to push on – and that left Delph in with a shout of chasing down 220 for victory on an easy-paced track.
However, Honley put the pressure on straight away, Ritchie Howarth conceding just one run in his first three overs, and when their newly-contacted county player Tom Craddock (almost certainly making his final appearance of the season for them) caught and bowled Irfan Zahoor with the third delivery of his first over, the visitors were on the back foot.
Bruce Cruse hung around to make 58, but apart from a couple of boundaries off Harlon Haye was never at his most fluent and they were soon behind the required run rate.
Howarth, bowling off ‘one leg’ after apparently straining his groin, trapped Bilal Khiljee leg before, while Craddock had Faisal Butt chipping to Mike Fraine at mid-on and then drew Lilley forward to be stumped by Richard Jakeman, and at 96-5 it was almost game over.
Graeme Simpson remained unbeaten on 40 while Craddock took five for 60 on his ‘swan song’ as Delph dropped to third in the table.
Up at Riley Lane, Golcar made a useful 199-7 in a game reduced to 45-overs-a-side with Steve Whitwam carrying his bat for an unbeaten 90, while Ryan Robinson claimed four for 56.
Kirkburton paced their run chase to perfection, reaching the target with five deliveries to spare, former Honley player Jonny Butterfield seeing them home with an unbeaten 53 and Robinson hitting 46 not out.
John Sadler hit his third ton of the summer as Hoylandswaine made 225-5 at Elland, Alex Morris weighing in with 79 before Michael Cranmer wrecked Elland’s reply with eight for 42 from 13 overs.
Craig Fletcher made an unbeaten 58 and Jack Hendy 30 to make the scoreboard look more respectable, having at one stage been 67-7.
Shepley repeated their win over Skelmanthorpe, Liam Wiles scoring an unbeaten 95, before SP Singh (four for 25), Danny Glover (three for 34) and Amar Rashid (three for 48) mopped up the home side, while Scholes beat doomed Barkisland by 70 runs.
James Noble (78) and Iqbal Khan (62) led the home side to 258-8 despite a six-wicket haul from Gary Colman, but having reached 91 without loss in reply, Barkisland then folded to 188 all out, Andy Alsop taking five for 34.
Both Shelley and Slaithwaite boosted their hopes of First Division survival, the former beating Broad Oak by four wickets, while Ibrar Younas took five for 34 to skittle Marsden for 100 to give the Hill Top side maximum points.
In the Championship, Clayton West’s Aussie Del Prete scooped his best-ever return with nine for 64 from 16.4 overs, but Emley Clarence still managed to post a 218 total, thanks to Sheheryar Hassan’s 86 and 49 from Richard Haynes.
But Clayton’s reply faded rapidly, Jon Lee taking five for 62 to be all out for 180, Chris James’ unbeaten 46 the best effort.
But it seems as though none of the top sides wanted to win as Hall Bower and Meltham similarly crashed to defeat!
Hall Bower probably witnessed one of THE performances of the summer as Lepton captain Steve Brown went berserk smashing 175 not out in just 25 overs!
The match only started at 3.30 and by 5pm Brown had led the Highlanders to 254-4.