It's all so close at the top of the Drakes Premiership after a brilliant performance by Slaithwaite condemned leaders Scholes to their first defeat of the season.
And something will have to give this coming Saturday as the new joint front-runners, Scholes and Honley, meet each other at Chapelgate.
While Hoylandswaine hit a Premiership record 405 against Delph to be just a point adrift of the summit, Chis Kilner’s Slaithwaite moved up three places with a well-deserved 25-run win against Scholes at Hill Top.
Slaithwaite totalled 195 on the back of 39 from opener Max Berry against his old club and some considered hitting from Alex Walker (32) at No7.
Skipper Chris Kilner and David Hales started the defence in excellent style, pegging Scholes to just two an over for the first 10, and when Joe Carter and Pete Drysdale were both removed by the excellent Walker, who bowled much better than four for 68 suggests, Slaithwaite had their tails up.
Walker also got opener Tom Chadwick for 61 and Slaithwaite built further pressure thanks to Aussie Matt Bremner, who had three for 31 from nine overs.
A disastrous run-out of skipper James Noble for 32 didn’t help the Scholes cause and, despite some lusty late hitting from last man Louis Brook (25), which took his side to a point, Hales cleaned him up to seal the win – a third of the campaign for the Colne Valley men.
There were fireworks at Haigh Lane as Hoylandswaine piled up 405-4 thanks to a sparkling 137 from Ryan Robinson in which he hit 14 fours an eight sixes and was eventually caught by teammate Gharib Nawaz, on as a substitute for the injured Grant Jones.
Robinson, who went to 50 in 44 balls and 100 in 65, eventually faced only 90 balls for his 137 and he shared in a third-wicket stand of 206 off 172 balls with Max Joice, whose 83 from 63 balls included eight fours and five sixes.
Joice hit four successive sixes and was going for a fifth when he was caught one-handed on the boundary by Nawaz!
Nawaz and Alex Morris had hit 42 and 37 respectively in an 80-ball opening stand of 85, while the home side piled up 125 in the last 10 overs thanks largely to 47 not out from Yasir Abbas (six fours and two sixes, 28 balls) and Ben Potter, who smacked 43 not out off 20 deliveries including a four and five sixes. Their unbroken fifth-wicket stand was 77 in 42 balls.
Delph, without skipper Arron Lilley who was on duty for Lancashire in the County Championship Division II against Derbyshire at Southport, were never in the hunt in reply and were all out for 197 with Zafir Patel taking four for 35.
Andrew Gleave and Graeme Simpson shared an opening stand of 69 in 58 balls, but Gleave’s 59, which included seven fours and three sixes, was Delph’s top knock.
Honley scored a three-wicket home success against Shelley, who were dismissed for just 133 with spin twins Tim Taylor and Aaron Crispe taking three wickets apiece.
Skipper Eddie Wilson anchored the Honley reply with 55, while Tom Haytack took three for 37 for the visitors.
Shepley moved within three points of the leaders with a 19-run win over Moorlands in a high-scoring clash at Marsh Lane.
Tom Denton hit 83, Dan Wood 59 and Aussie Christian Smith 57 not out as Shepley totalled 266-4, spinner David Winn taking three for 71 after completing an over for the injured Michael Padgett (who later batted with the aid of a runner).
In-form opener Andrew Fortis kept Moorlands in touch with 85 and Aussie Jared Maxwell hit 30, but Oli Davidson’s four for 56 ensured they were held short and the Mirfield side are now bottom of the standings.
Barkisland remain on the heels of the leading bunch after drubbing Broad Oak – and that was despite an excellent haul of seven for 87 from Harvey Booth as Barkisland totalled 255.
Luke Bridges did the bulk of the damage with 136, although skipper Darren Robinson weighed in with 57 and Kiwi Tim Seifert 32.
Robinson then got the ball talking to claim four for 20 and put the Oak well behind the rate, and with Chris Williams and Alex Scholefield taking three wickets each, the Oak were sent back for 145, with their top contribution coming from Alex Slack with 42.
Elland moved off the bottom thanks to a three-run win at Kirkburton, where the home side fell short on 198-9 chasing 201-7.
Paul Winrow top scored on 81 for the visitors and Aussie Robyn Broom had 51, while skipper Andrew Smith claimed five for 45 for Kirkburton.
Asif Hussain led the reply with 54, but only Nick Sharp with 33 at No6 made many inroads alongside as Wajid Hussain, Nishant Desai, Alistair Finn and Will Gardner picked up two wickets apiece.
Skelmanthorpe are back in the bottom two after being rolled for just 69 in 21 overs at home by Golcar – for whom Aussie Tim Welsford claimed seven for 32 including five wickets in eight deliveries.
James Howson (31) and Steve Whitwam (30 not out) carried Golcar to victory in just 11 overs and they were able to visit Hill Top in plenty of time to see Slaithwaite down Scholes.
