DELIGHTED champions Scholes rounded off their Byrom Shield season in style by setting a new Premiership points record.
Skipper James Noble guided his long-time leaders to a six-point haul against relegated Clayton West to finish the Drakes League campaign on 120 points – one more than Honley’s previous top tally.
It was a fitting climax to a memorable summer at Chapelgate, where Iqbal Khan added another unbeaten 38 to his 1,000-plus runs tally and Australian Shane Mott scored 53 not out to take Scholes past Clayton West’s 154 all out with just three wickets down for a 15th outright win.
Andy Alsop with three for 14 from 11 overs and Khan, who picked up four for 31, had earlier done the damage with the ball, although Jonny Butterfield showed his growing promise with 53 not out and young Tom Gibson scored an impressive 27.
Delph & Dobcross all-rounder Bilal Khiljee celebrated winning the Overseas Player of the Year award by helping his side to an eight-wicket home win against Golcar, who were skittled for 114 with Irfan Zahoor taking four wickets and Khiljee three.
Zahoor hit 69 in the successful reply, Khiljee finishing on 26 not out as Delph finished fourth in the table.
Shepley picked up the Hopkinson Trophy for the best finish to the League season, SP Singh and Tim Rees both hitting unbeaten centuries at Broad Oak, where they overhauled the home side’s 213-6 for the loss of just one wicket.
Singh, who hit 14 fours, was 103 not out and Rees – who included eight fours and six sixes – 107 not out at the end after three Broad Oak players, Stephen Rushworth, Eddie Wilson and Graeme Hurlbatt, had all posted scores in the 60s.
Shepley totalled 29 points in their last six matches to take the Hopkinson award because the Cedar Court and Frank Platt Conference champions, Hoylandswaine and Kirkburton, who had 31 and 34 points respectively over the same period, are not allowed to win it as title-holders.
The Premiership runners-up, Skelmanthorpe, finished with a home defeat, despite putting up 276-6 against Elland with Qaiser Rashid leading the way on 111 not out and Sarfraz Ahmed going to 1,000 runs with 55.
Greg Buckley (112) and Richard Whiteoak (71) provided the backbone of the Elland reply as they chalked a six-wicket victory in just 34.1 overs.
Four-time champions Honley finished a point behind Elland in sixth after bagging a maximum at home to Holmfirth, who were dismissed for 87 with Ritchie Howarth taking five for 35 and Harlon Haye four for 50. Haye earlier hit 44 in Honley’s 209-8.
Jake Thorne had the best bowling figures of the day, taking seven for 35 from 15.4 overs as relegated Meltham dismissed Slaithwaite for 76.
Thorne – who has finished leading wicket-taker for the season on 83 victims – then anchored the Meltham reply with 36 not out as they registered a nine-wicket win.
Top scorers were Barkisland, who totalled 331-5 at Micklehurst thanks to an unbeaten 125 from Jitender Billa and 54 from Alex Scholefield to take him past 1,000 runs. Darren Robinson also made a brisk 61.
Scholefield and Matt Steers then took three wickets apiece as the home side were out for 119.
In the Conferences, Marsden will meet Kexborough at Scholes on Saturday in the play-off final for a place in the top flight. Lepton missed out at the last hurdle.
