Scholes are all set to face the toughest examination of their credentials as Drakes Premiership leaders.

It’s a doubleheader for the top flight this weekend and Scholes face the clubs immediately behind them in the table – champions Hoylandswaine on Saturday and third-placed Shepley on Sunday.

The clash with Swaine at Chapelgate (1pm) is a repeat of the arrowselfdrive Sykes Cup second-round meeting between the two in May which the current leaders won by six wickets.

Since then, Scholes have recruited off-spinning Northern Districts all-rounder Jono Boult to add to an attack which has been magnificently led by the Brook brothers – Josh with 38 wickets, Tom with 30 and Louis with 21.

If Scholes are to extend their one-point lead, they will have to fire again against a Hoylandswaine top order led by Gharib Nawaz (459 runs at 38.25), Max Joice and Alex Morris and bristling with ability from the likes of Ryan Robinson, SP Singh, Yasir Abbas and Ben Potter – not to mention matchwinners Richard Wilkinson and Alan Mynett.

Scholes will again be looking to the Premiership’s top run-scorer Joe Carter to set them a platform – he has 715 runs so far at 65.00 – along with fellow Kiwi-based player Pete Drysdale, whose 518 runs have come at almost 60.00.

Interestingly, they and Boult are flatmates of Swaine’s West Indian opening bowler Kesrick Williams.

Tom Chadwick has also hit fine form and needs just 35 runs for 500, while Toby Booth, skipper James Noble and the Brooks are all capable of boosting any Scholes tally.

Swaine were stung by the Cup exit at the hands of the Holme Valley side, so it promises to be a firecracker of a match between two really entertaining and competitive sides.

Sunday’s trip to Shepley will also provide a stern test for the leaders, because when the two sides met at Chapelgate back in April Scholes scraped home with the last pair – Louis Brook and keeper Richard Holmes – at the wicket as Danny Glover claimed five for 48.

Aussie Christian Smith has hit over 400 runs and will carry Shepley hopes with the bat, while Nasir Jamal has picked up 30 wickets so far and will fancy another go at the Scholes order, while Glover has 29 victims to his credit.

Meanwhile, Sunday is a big day for clubs in the Jedi Sports Championship and Cedar Court Conference as it’s quarter-final time in the Oddfellows Cup.

The tie between Cawthorne and Holmfirth will have to be rearranged because Cawthorne’s Second team are at home in the Drakes Premiership Two, but Cumberworth will be looking to upset Meltham from the higher division and Clayton West have a belting home chance against Marsden.

The Conference are guaranteed at least one team in the semi-finals on Sunday, July 19, as Hall Bower host Birkby Rose Hill this weekend.