SHEPLEY lost their grip on one of the two cups in their possession when they beaten in the semi-finals of the Heavy Woollen Cup by Townville.
Home skipper Danny Glover won the toss and chose to bat, but sadly for the Shepley supporters South African Wade Lezar struck twice, removing SP Singh without scoring and then clean bowling Greg Wood for 12.
Tom Denton went on to top score with 34 before he was caught and bowled by DeanWoolsey as the Marsh Lane side slumped to 49-3.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, three of them to Ritchie Bresnan (brother of England Test ace Tim) and despite a gritty 25 from Gary Bradley, Shepley were dismissed for 150 with two overs spare.
Central Yorkshire League side Townville made a steady start before losing their first wicket to Singh with the score on 32, who also added the wicket of the other opener Tim Walton for a valuable 37, leaving the visitors on 59-2.
However, they were unable to shift Jack Hughes, who held the innings together with an undefeated 69 as Townville won the game in the 44th over to reach the final for the first time.
There they will meet Wrenthorpe, who will be bidding to land their fifth HW Trophy in six seasons.
So this season there will be no joy for Huddersfield League clubs in the Heavy Woollen competition, although Slaithwaite are still flying the flag in the Crowther Cup, where they have yet to play Woodlands in the third round, with the winners due to meet Wakefield Thornes in the semis.
It will be the first time for 16 years that two Central Yorkshire League clubs have contested the Heavy Woollen final – to be staged at Liversedge on August 5 – although regular finalists Wrenthorpe should consider themselves lucky on this occasion to have got the decision over Delph & Dobcross on the toss of a coin.
Yorkshire’s Under 13s will play South Yorkshire at Cawthorne, on Monday, August 6 (11.30am).
Huddersfield’s Joe Lumb Cup team are still waiting to find out who they will play in this season’s semi-finals (at Broad Oak, on August 5), depending on the outcome of results in the games involving Scarborough and Pontefract in the other section.
