MOHAMMAD SHAFIQ produced   the bowling performance of the  season when the Kirkheaton  bowler ripped out Lascelles Hall  for just 35, while a former  Bankfield teammate Sam  Atkinson steered his new side  Armitage Bridge to victory over  previous Premiership leaders  Skelmanthorpe.

In the Championship Two game at  Bankfield, Shafiq  made 29 in the first  innings, helping Stuart Grey (37) resurrect  his side’s innings after they had slumped to  59-5, but it was with the ball that he shone,  as he bowled 11 overs straight through  with seven maidens to bag himself the  tremendous figures of eight for nine.

His ex-teammate Atkinson was almost  as impressive as he returned five for 20  from 11 overs as Skelmanthorpe were  pegged at 124 all out (of which Jordan  Greaves made 55 of those) and then  anchored the Bridge to a one-wicket win  when he dug in to compile a  match-winning 39 not out and secure six  points.

Ashley Littlewood had a good weekend  for Shepley, making 46 against Emley and  51 the following day against Marsden –  but he didn’t need it, as the Marsh Lane  opener had already won the race to 400  League runs, and with it a cheque for £50  from the Examiner.

Last weekend’s total merely took him  up to the 500 mark (well clear of his rivals)  as well as sealing superb back-to-back  six-pointers for Shepley as they moved up  to third in the table and earmarked them  as serious title challengers.

Kirkburton’s Tom Burkinshaw  returned from injury with a run-out in the  Seconds and although he didn’t bowl, he  still made an unbeaten 68 to help his side  to victory over Scholes, for whom Ashley  Pamment made 78 in the five-wicket  reversal.

Ashton Blakey (60no) and Alex Rowles  (55) shared a century stand for Elland as  they beat Delph & Dobcross by seven  wickets, while Honley continued their  domination of the Championship Two as  Chris Woodhead (66) and Simon England  (55) proved too good for Hall Bower,  along with Eddie Kaye who picked up five  for 20.

Ian Kenworthy was run out one short of  his century in the match at Rastrick, while  at Linthwaite James Barber did get his ton  – 115 in fact – but still finished on the  losing side against Clayton West.

In the Sunday Premiership programme  Louis Sykes (73) and Gareth Wakefield  (62) shared a century opening stand in  Scholes’ six-wicket win over Delph &  Dobcross, while League champions  Slaithwaite took over at the top of the  table  following their eight-wicket win over  Elland, Tom Simpson grabbing seven for  17 for the Hill Toppers.

Barkisland’s Daniel Sykes was a big  wicket-taker, his six for 15 skittling Broad  Oak for 34, while Meltham’s Alex Clegg  took six for 24 in their win over Emley.

In the Earnshaw Cup, Lee Renwick  claimed five for 14 as Linthwaite beat  Thongsbridge, Callum Lee made an  unbeaten 85 and Ryan Copley 38 not out  in Hoylandswaine’s 10-wicket win over  Shelley, Andy Tyas having taken five for  15, while Hall Bower beat Kirkheaton in a  close call by five runs.

SATURDAY

PREMIERSHIP TWO

@Meltham 184 (S Holmes 57, B Shaw 34, A  Clegg 32; T Graham 3-36) Slaithwaite 186-7 (H  Garside 47no, C Payne 41; W Beardsell 30; M  Rudkin 3-27).
@Marsden v Barkisland. No play, rain.
@Skelmanthorpe 124 (J Greaves 55, A Dollive  30; S Atkinson 5-20) Armitage Bridge 128-9 (S  Atkinson 39no, C Bullock 25; J Hinchliffe 3-32).
@Emley Clarence 138 (K Taylor 39; J Dearnley  4-30) Shepley 201-9 (I Parry 70, A Littlewood 46,  R Denton 29; R Whetham 4-40).
@Scholes 167 (A Pamment 78, A Steers 25; A  Rollings 5-27) Kirkburton 173-5 (T Burkinshaw  68no, R Kettlewell jnr 32; M Floyd 4-35).
@Elland 180-3 (A Blakey 60no, A Rowles 55)  Delph & Dobcross 179-9 (P Jewitt 39, I Cotterill  37; A Finn 3-19).
@Broad Oak 163-9 (S Peacock 37, C Woodruff  33, J Harper 32; S Gill 3-16) Golcar 207-5 (G  Crowther 56, A Iqbal 50, D Woodhead 40, M  Wilson 35).

FRANK PLATT

CHAMPIONSHIP TWO
@Kirkheaton 131 (S Grey 37, M Shafiq 29; A  Robshaw 4-40, D Keen 3-43) Lascelles Hall 35  (M Shafiq 8-9).
@Hall Bower 53 (E Kaye 5-20, T Willetts 4-33)  Honley 235 (C Woodhead 66, S England 55, J  Green 45, J McNamara 26).
@Hoylandswaine 85-2 (S Marsh 38no, D Hoyle  28) Micklehurst 79 (S Quarmby 47 (A Tyas 3-32)  Only 8 men.
@Thongsbridge 71 (T Hanman 6-29, C Allen  4-14) Holmfirth 72-4 (M Battye-Wood 25).

CEDAR COURT CONFERENCE TWO
@Shelley 178-9 (A Thackeray 70no, C Calvert  39; C Mott 4-45) Cawthorne 165-9 (C Mott 38, A  Pratt 37,  R Bagshaw 34; J Nightingale 3-31).
@Lepton Highlanders 138 (J Atkinson 82, M  Hussain 5-29) Paddock 95 (M Ahmed 29; T  Atkinson 6-47, J Easingwood 3-15).
@Rastrick 199-6 (C Jowett, N Marsden 34, S  Farlow 33, D Thaxter 29no; B Earnshaw 3-48)  Almondbury 215-4 (I Kenworthy 99, A Langton  35, C Harris 32).
@Clayton West 184-5 (A Thompson 71, D Baxter 37, J Hawke 25no, P Rugby 25no) Linthwaite  182-2 (J Barber 115, A Thompson 3-35, W  Lockwood 3-37).

SUNDAY

PREMIERSHIP TWO
@Golcar 201 (J Lockwood 62, C Chapman 42no,  U Ali 35; C Bullock 3-27) Armitage Bridge 90 (S  Atkinson 38; S Gill 6-44).
@Delph & Dobcross 161 (P Jewitt 55, J Belchem  49; J Clayton 6-15) Scholes 162-4 (L Sykes 73, G  Wakefield 63; M Ali 4-42).
@Slaithwaite 70-2 (J Bryson 40no) Elland 67 (H  Palmer 40; T Simpson 7-17).
@Barkisland 143 (C Cocking  43no, I Pollitt 36; D  Rushworth 3-25, S Burluraux 3-13, J Wadsworth  3-31) Broad Oak 34 (D Sykes        3-15).
@Emley Clarence 124 (S Morley 44; A Clegg   6-24) Meltham 125-6 (J Boyd 44no, S Holmes  29no).
@Shepley 158-2 (A Littlewood 51, O Huntington  41no) Marsden 151 (R Clarke 37; S Greves  4-30).
@Kirkburton 173-3 (J Tindle 54no, D Greaves  43, D Lindley 26no) Skelmanthorpe 171-8 (P  Redgwick 53, J Roebuck 42; Rob  Kettlewell   3-25).

EARNSHAW CUP

Quarter-finals

@Cawthorne 165 (A Pratt 69, R Nicholson 28no;  P Rigby 3-37, D Taylor 3-24) Clayton West 166-8  (J Hawke 79, I Radley 31no).
@Linthwaite 100-4 (J Fernyhough 36, G Dyson  29) Thongsbridge 96 (L Renwick 5-14).
@Shelley 133 (C Calvert 48, J Jones 37; A Tyas  5-15) Hoylandswaine 134-0 (C Lee 85no, R  Copley 38no).
@Hall Bower 173 (T Collier 52; T Gledhill 3-19;  Asaf 3-30) Kirkheaton 167 (M Sadiq 54, N Swift  31no, M Mahroof 29; D Harding 3-