Yorkshire leagues: Wakefield Thornes suffer surprise defeat, as York make perfect start

Barnsley had first use of the Shaw Lane wicket and made that count as the top three of Jake Weatherald (35), Jon Trower (64) and Oliver Bennett (60) all made starts.

Trower and Bennett added 94 for the second wicket in their 240-9 as Matthew Taylor (3-46) and Imran Mahboob (6-68) slowed down the hosts’ innings.

Thornes were then 5-3 but two stands put them somewhere close at 228 all out, Joe Billings (46) and Matthew Jordan (53) adding 65 for the fourth wicket and Jordan and Jawad Akhtar (53) 68 for the sixth.

But opening bowlers Ben Frostick (5-74) and Oliver Jackson (3-32) weren’t to be denied.

There was a similar margin of victory for second-placed Appleby Frodingham over Cawthorne – this time 19 runs.

None of the Lincolnshire side’s batters made single figures in their 209-5, with Jordan Neil (59) and Kieran Lindley (40) leading the way, before Neil (3-28) and Jack Harrison (3-58) helped dismiss the visitors for 190.

Opener George Bartlett (66) and Shaaiq Choudhry (73no) added 122 for Sheffield Collegiate in their six-wicket victory at home to Doncaster Town.

Whiston Parish Church notched a second win of the season, but are still bottom of the table, with Tian Koekemoer’s 6-46 in vain for Tickhill.

The official start of summer is just under a month away, but already Castleford’s defence of the Yorkshire Premier League North title seems in tatters.

They were rescued by their captain David Wainwright at Scarborough, and his 57 pulled them round from 64-5 as he shared a stand of 69 with Alex Kaye (23), but their total of 162 was soon shown to be wholly inadequate.

An unbroken second-wicket stand of 128 between Oliver Stephenson (65no) and overseas signing Breidyn Schaper (69no) secured Scarborough a nine-wicket victory.

Meanwhile, leaders York maintained their perfect start with a fifth straight win, the latest one coming by eight wickets against Beverley Town at Clifton Park.

The visitors had looked well placed at 82-2 but once South African David Christie was dismissed, they lost their last seven wickets for just 47 runs, which was as many as Christie made.

Spinners Darcy O’Connor (4-36) and Dave Brent (4-21) did the damage before an unbroken partnership of 71 for the third wicket secured the points, William Wade finishing unbeaten on 40 alongside Jonathan Tattersall (46no).

Driffield Town kept up the pressure on York with a 10-wicket win at The Green against Acomb.

The home side got off to a strong opening after being put in with a partnership of 60 between Joe Schofield (47) and captain Matthew Dale (10) but after that the innings fell apart, four wickets falling for eight runs.

Mayank Mishra finished with 5-31 and Nick Hardgrave 4-10 in the 111 total, Owen Goldsworthy (70no) and Alec Drury (37no) passing that in the 19th over to secure a fourth win.

A new league record seventh-wicket partnership worth 117 between Dulash Udayanga (79) and Freddie Collins (58) rescued Sheriff Hutton Bridge at Moor Farm, and ultimately helped set up an unlikely victory.

They helped the hosts recover from 56-6 to post 188, but as the visitors reached 86-0, thanks to Isaac Light (45) and Henry Thompson (33), the result looked likely to go their way. Instead, wickets from Ashley Watson (4-41) and Avish Patel (3-33) turned the game around, with the hosts defeating Harrogate by 29 runs.

Woodhouse Grange set a season’s league low of 67 as Samuel Grant (4-21), David Friend and Scott Hopkinson cashed in. Hopkinson (38no) then combined with Andrew Whaits (25) in a partnership of 57, and the visitors won by eight wickets inside 20 overs to record a fourth win in five games.

Ossett captain Nick Connolly continued his purple patch in the Bradford Premier League, scoring 111 as they defeated his old club Hanging Heaton by 18 runs.

Connolly hit 17 fours in Ossett’s 260-5, putting on 104 for the third wicket with Paul Malone (53), and it was enough as their Batley visitors could only make 242, despite a stand of 151 between Adam Patel (84) and Callum Geldart (66).

Spinner Archie Scott took 6-35 as Pudsey St Lawrence made it five straight wins, Methley being beaten by 28 runs, while Conor Harvey bagged a hat-trick in his 6-50 as Townville defeated Cleckheaton by three wickets.

Muhammad Azharullah was again in form for Huddersfield League Premiership leaders Hoylandswaine, taking 7-17 in 11 overs as Honley were dismissed for 65, Hoylandswaine winning by nine wickets.

On Sunday, Cleakheaton’s season was given a much-needed lift by their overseas player Yousaf Baber.

The Moorenders had lost all six of their matches in the Bradford Premier League Premier Division until yesterday[Sunday] when the 24-year-old Pakistani inspired them to victory at Bradford & Bingley.

The visitors won the toss and batted, with Baber hitting an unbeaten 147 in their 265-3, an individual innings that contained 16 fours and two sixes.

Former Yorkshire player and coach Richard Pyrah (41) put on 119 for the third wicket with Baber, who then added 124 unbroken with captain Michael Nicholson (53no).

Bingley ended on 229, with Australian Corey Miller (54) putting on 72 for the fourth wicket with his captain Ed Brown (82), who then figured in a partnership of 81 for the seventh wicket with keeper Matthew Duce (30).

Former Scotland and Yorkshire pace bowler (5-41) caused damage at both ends of the innings as Cleckheaton moved level with Hanging Heaton in next to bottom on 49 points, ahead of Batley (34).

The top-of-the-table clash between Ossett and New Farnley proved a damp squib as the former were dismissed for just 72 by Mark Lawson (5-23) and Gurman Randhawa (2-6), with New Farnley winning by nine wickets.

In the second round of the Huddersfield League’s Sykes Cup, Shoukat Ali scored 103 for Moorlands, hitting nine fours and eight sixes, as they defeated Delph & Dobcross by 180 runs.