Yorkshire leagues review: Woodlands close in on Bradford Premier hat-trick after sweeping aside rivals

Also champions in 2019 and therefore aiming for a league hat-trick (Covid put paid to a full league campaign in 2020), they beat nearest rivals New Farnley by nine wickets, timing their run chase to perfection and increasing their lead at the top to 20 points with just two matches remaining.

New Farnley won the toss on their own ground and chose to bat, making a competitive 272-7.

Former first-class wicket-keepers Lee Goddard and Dan Hodgson had the key partnership, adding 173 for the third wicket, with captain Goddard making 106 and Hodgson 96.

Goddard hit 15 fours and a six in his 124-ball stay and Hodgson seven fours and six sixes in a briefer 88-ball innings, Adam Waite (25) putting on 50 for the second wicket with Goddard.

Woodlands captain Brad Schmulian was the most successful bowler with 4-64, but Elliot Richardson and Chris Brice were the duo who kept the runs down.

Sam Frankland (27) was the major partner in an opening stand of 44, but then it was down to Tim Jackson and Schmulian to see the defending champions home in a magnificent unbroken stand of 232.

Left-hander Jackson finished on 130, hitting 12 fours and three sixes, and Schmulian, troubled by cramp, ended on 109, finding the boundary 14 times as Woodlands won with eight balls to spare.

At the bottom of the table, it is looking increasingly forlorn for Batley and Cleckheaton.

Hanging Heaton, given a tremendous start by captain Ben Kohler-Cadmore (102) and Nick Lindley (45) in a stand of 133, racked up 338-6 at Batley, with Callum Bethel’s 94 not out giving the innings late impetus.

His runs came off only 49 balls and included 11 fours and five sixes, Kohler-Cadmore having hit 16 fours and three sixes.

Batley replied with 218, while Cleckheaton were dismissed for 178 at home to Farsley, Richard Pyrah making 59 as James Rogers took 5-33.

Keeper Jonathan Read (63) and Jack Timby (63no) made light of the chase as the Rams won by six wickets in the 39th over.

An unusual finish occurred in Division Two, where the match between Gomersal and Keighley ended after 48 overs with hosts Gomersal 371-7, the game abandoned by the umpires after a disciplinary incident.

New Farnley and Woodlands was not the only top-two clash as Driffield Town and York squared up in Yorkshire Premier North.

Visitors York chose to field, with Town making 261-8, largely down to a second-wicket stand of 147 between opener Alec Drury (71) and Noah Kelly (70).

Three wickets fell for five runs but runs down the order came from Nick Hardgrave (33) and Mayank Mishra (36no) as bowlers Dave Brent (3-55) and Darcy O’Connor (3-58) were rewarded.

Duncan Snell (86) put on 66 for York’s first wicket with William Wade (16) and 112 for the second with Ryan McKendry (60).

A score of 178-1 became 206-4 but York were seen home with five balls to spare by Luke Kilby (50no) and Charlie Elliot (16no), who put on an unbroken 56.

Driffield still lead the table from York, but only by eight points with three matches left.

For real thrills and spills, however, look no further than the Yorkshire Southern Premier, where one match was decided on the final ball, one in the last over and one in the penultimate over.

The most exciting clash was at Sheffield Collegiate, who scored 246-5 after winning the toss against Elsecar, with 51 coming in the last five overs.

Shaaiq Choudhry went in with the score on 25-1 and batted through the rest of the innings to finish on 104 not out.

He put on 58 with Ed McKenna (21) for the third wicket, 66 for the fifth with keeper Sam Hunt (29) and 51 unbroken with Henry Eldred (25no).

Partnerships of 76 for the second wicket and 98 for the third involving keeper Callum Higgins (79) set Elsecar on their way, aided by Bilal Anjam (32) and Kashif Naveed (77).

But 13 were still wanted from 14 balls when Naveed was out and two was needed off the last ball, bowled by Eldred, but Paul Fenn obliged to give Elsecar a four-wicket victory and take them out of a demotion berth.

Tension was also high at Tickhill, who sent in Treeton, who made 214-8.

Opener Stephen Foster made 43, captain Sam Drury 74 and Ben Birtles 48 not out, while Paddy Turner took 3-29 for Tickhill and Adi Sreedharan 4-72.

They were looking good at 172-4 when they replied, Jordan Lowe’s 53 led the way but the hosts needed James Waller (20 no) to see them to a one-wicket victory with two balls to spare, clinching the win with a six off Will Street.

Overseas players returning home early is one theory for these close finishes, and Wakefield Thornes defeated Doncaster Town by three wickets with nine balls to spare, with Joe Billings hitting 116 not out.

Hoylandswaine are all but Huddersfield League Premiership champions again as they lead the table by 18 points with four matches left.

Muhammad Azharullah took 6-25 as Shepley were dismissed for 82, with the visitors knocking off the runs without loss in just 11.2 overs, Furqan Shafiq finishing on 47 not out.

At the other end of the table, Golcar also won by 10 wickets, defeating fellow strugglers Armitage Bridge to go above them.

Steve Whitwam took 5-13 and scored 30 not out for the winners.

Joe Smith scored 79 for Airedale & Wharfedale League Division One leaders Rawdon in their 125-run success at Beckwithshaw, with Andrew Doidge (3-17) leading the way with the ball.

Rawdon are 22 points in front of Otley with three matches remaining.