FORMER Indian Test batsman Vikram Rathour hammered the Premier Division's highest individual score this season with a magnificent 168 as Birstall stepped up their championship bid.
Rathour put on 245 with Paul Marlow (89) as Birstall recovered fro
m 31-2 to rack up 290-4 against strugglers Northowram Fields.
John Carruthers bagged 5-43 as Northowram were bowled out in reply for 161 after losing their last four wickets for just four runs.
Birstall are one point behind leaders Wrenthorpe, who beat Wakefield Thornes by three wickets.
Opener John Inglis struck an unbeaten 98 as Wrenthorpe overhauled Thornes' 199-8 that featured a century by Tushar Saha.
John Proud (63), Chris Leaf
(4-35) and Vic Craven (3-25) led third placed Methley to a 76-run win over bottom side Scholes.
New Farnley and Batley remain in relegation trouble after losing to Townville and Mirfield Parish Cavaliers, respectively.
Salman Fazal-Khan (5-39) and John Rickers (5-60) sent Northowram reeling from 128-1 to 147 all out, replying to Townville's 239-6 that included a century by Peter Hepworth.
Mohammed Yaqoob (6-60) restricted Parish Cavaliers to 152 in a 37-over match but Batley managed only 139-9 in reply.
Parish's Mohammed Shahnawaz claimed 4-71 in a 19-over spell that included five maidens.
Ossett eased their relegation fears with a five-wicket success at Liversedge in a 35-over game.
Stephen Brown (5-51) and Charles Orme (3-41) limited Liversedge to 123-9 and Ossett knocked off the runs with five balls remaining after opener Nick Connolly (47) had led the way.
Zulquarnain Haider (41) and left-arm spinner Simon Purdy (3-35) were Liversedge's best.
Stanley climbed to the top of the First Division when they collected two points from an abandoned match against promotion rivals East Ardsley.
Stanley are one point ahead of Altofts who lost top spot with a four-wicket defeat against East Leeds.
Allan Olbison (4-31), Zahid Tarvez (3-24) and Danny Thewliss (2-21) were East Leeds's match-winners as Altofts collapsed from 86-4 to 108 all out.
An unbroken 106-run stand between Simon Sterling (59no) and Mohammed Asif (36no) steered Wakefield St Michael's to a seven-wicket victory at Moorlands, whose defeat was hard on opener Greg Sheehan (73).
Hunslet Nelson's Glen Thompson (5-43) and Sohail Raz (3-9) routed strugglers Hopton Mills for 85.
Hunslet's reply was floundering at 13-4 before Jeff Nicholson (44no) and Raz (24no) shared an unbroken 76-run stand to guide them to a six-wicket win.
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