FOR the second season in succession, Matthew Wood has walked off with the Examiner cash after winning the race to score 500 League runs.

But this year the former Yorkshire and Glamorgan batsman achieved it in record time – taking just five innings to reach the landmark.

He was trailing Wasim Jaffer by more than 50 going in last Saturday’s fixture, but an unbeaten 163 from the Burton opener, coupled to a failure by Jaffer, left Woody needing 65 from Sunday’s game against his former club Honley. And he duly made it with a knock of 74, to go alongside his 72no, 45, 155 and 163no.

Jaffer was the nearest to him with 411, followed by Honley’s Max Joice on 384 (Woody’s replacement) and his Burton teammate Charlie Roebuck on 376.

The Championship/Conference race is still wide open, with Clayton West’s Greg Davies (258) the only man past the halfway mark, followed by Shelley’s Sam Scott, and Paddock’s Steve Abbott, both on 239 and last year’s winner, Sean Barry of Hall Bower, on 223.