Kirkheaton start the defence of their Oddfellows Cup crown on Monday.

The Bankfield Lane side have yet to win in the Jedi Sports Championship since being promoted last season as runaway champions of the Cedar Court Conference.

But they proved invincible in the allroundercricket.com Oddfellows – the major knockout for clubs outside the Drakes Premiership – when they went all the way to a final success against Almondbury Wesleyans.

And they’ll be looking to stay in the hunt this time as they visit Lepton Highlanders – second bottom of the Cedar Court Conference – at the first knockout stage (1pm).

Joint Championship leaders Armitage Bridge and Clayton West are both at home, to Cawthorne and Emley Clarence respectively, while the league’s top run-scorer outside the Premiership – Jacob Waterson of Rastrick, who has 455 at 227.50 – takes up his heavy bat against last year’s beaten finalists the Wesleyans at Round Hill.

It’s also the first round of the Earnshaw Cup for second XIs on Monday, with holders Shelley not involved because of their promotion to the Drakes Premiership Two.

Monday’s Oddfellows Cup first round: Thurstonland v Hall Bower, Rastrick v Almondbury Wes, Lascelles Hall v Holmfirth, Armitage Bridge v Cawthorne, Cartworth Moor v Almondbury, Cumberworth v Denby Dale, Paddock v Thongsbridge, Marsden v Denby, Clayton West v Emley Clarence, Lepton v Kirkheaton, Meltham v Linthwaite, Upperthong v Birkby Rose Hill.

Earnshaw Cup first round: Linthwaite v Lepton, Holmfirth v Cartworth Moor, Emley v Meltham, Denby Dale v Clayton West, Hall Bower v Armitage Bridge, Kirkheaton v Cumberworth, Almondbury Wes v Paddock, Birkby RH v Upperthong, Moorlands v Thurstonland, Thongsbridge v Rastrick, Almondbury v Lascelles Hall, Denby v Marsden.