Ullah’s all-round effort in vain for Saltaire

Rain wreaked havoc with play starting in just three matches and not one of them being completed.

Second-placed Saltaire staged the only game in the Second Division and almost beat Baildon. Saltaire bowled out their neighbours for 99 in 25.3 overs and needed only 34 to win with eight wickets left when the match was abandoned.

Slow left-arm bowlers Israr Ullah (4-26) and Ijaz Khan (4-35) shared eight wickets as Baildon collapsed after an opening stand of 32 between Chris Reynolds (29) and James Ford, the last four wickets falling for 11 runs.

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With more rain threatening, Saltaire made a determined bid. They lost Amer Ayub in the first over, but Ullah and Rashid Ayub added 51 for the second wicket in 7.2 overs before Ullah was out for 34, including one six and six fours. After that, they added another 12 runs, reaching 66- 2 in 9.2 overs.

In the First Division, Hanging Heaton gained six points from their abandoned home match against leaders Cleckheaton. They raced to 183-3 in 20 overs, captain Gary Fellows making 85 as he shared a first-wicket stand of 102 with Nicholas Connolly (42).

Cleckheaton lost captain John Wood in making 15-1 in 2.1 overs before the match was abandoned, but the bowling point they gained enabled them to increase their lead at the top to 25 points.

Bottom club Yeadon reduced Lightcliffe to 114-9 in 23 overs before rain denied them a possible third win of the season.

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Alex Stead (44) and Rhys Jowett gave Lightcliffe a promising start with an opening stand of 58, but Muhammad Saeed took 3-39 and New Zealander Elliot Herd 2-30. Yeadon were 30-2 in six overs when the game was abandoned.