Skelmanthorpe are hit by old boy Joice

Drakes Huddersfield

MAX Joice returned to haunt his old club Skelmanthorpe with 145 not out for Honley at Lidgett Lane.

Joice and Simon Kelly had a partnership of 161, Kelly making 117 as Honley amassed 335-5. Skelmanthorpe, who finished runners-up to Scholes last year, made a bold bid for the runs, reaching 305-7 when the overs ran out. Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer led the way on 88 and Kristian Whittaker hit 68.

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Scholes made a losing start to their title defence at home to Marsden, who gained promotion through the play-off final. Andy Alsop, the league's top bowler last season took 5-27 as the visitors were ousted for 114. However, Chris Kilner's pace and Ibrar Ul-Haq's slow attack took the visitors to victory by 17 runs, Kilner taking 5-50 and Ul-Haq 3-26. Australian Luke Bird accounted for 40 of Scholes' 97 runs.

Craig Ruscoe's 134 for Golcar was the highlight at Hoylandswaine but the home side won by three wickets, Lliam Dickinson hitting 68 and John Ashton making 47 as well as taking 5-46.

Sarjinder Pal Singh included a hat-trick in his 6-42 for Shepley, who won by 44 runs at Delph & Dobcross. Tim Rees and Sri Lankan Don Bandula Ranjith had scores in the seventies and shared a partnership of 192.

Promoted Kirkburton had a five-wicket victory at Elland where former Yorkshire opener Matthew Wood, recruited from Honley, made an unbeaten 72 and England Under-19 batsman Charlie Roebuck hit a quickfire 50. Elland lost their first three wickets for three runs but brothers Greg and Dominic Finn shone, Greg making 61 and Dominic, coming in at No 9, adding 45.

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Holmfirth lost by 69 runs against visitors Barkisland for whom Jack Taylor made 79 and Matt Steers' 16.3 overs brought him 4-36.

Former Shepley all-rounder Romain Grenville made an uneaten half century and took three wickets in Broad Oak's six-wicket win against Slaithwaite.

Top individual scorer in the new-look Frank Platt Championship was Shelley opener Joe Sykes, who struck 136, including 14 fours and seven sixes, in a 48-run victory at Clayton West, for whom opener Greg Davis made 135, including 15 fours and eight sixes.

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