GARGRAVE, whose, rise really began in the Covid summer of 2020, have handed defending champions Riddlesden only their fourth defeat in four seasons in the Timothy Taylor’s Craven League – and it was by an emphatic margin.
Will Smith’s side won the toss and chose to bowl at their Skipton Road base, and dismissed the visitors, who are seeking a fourth straight divisional title, inside 25 overs for just 73, with opening bowler Joe Wood taking 5-35 and first-change George Beckwith 4-13.
Gargrave then won by nine wickets, losing only keeper Shaun Airey (13) as they were seen home by Brad Gardner (22no) and Matt Simpson (27no).
Promoted as Division Two runners-up in 2021, Gargrave finished fifth in 2022 and second last year. Could this be their year for league silverware?
They lead the table on 49 points, but just a point behind in second are Cowling, who won by three wickets over Eldwick & Gilstead at Grange Road.
Sent in, E&G were boosted by a wagging tail to finish on 130, with Danish Hameed taking 4-30 and Martyn Dalby a miserly 2-14 off his 12 overs, a third of which were maidens.
Skipper Dalby then led his team to victory in the 35th over with 30 not out at No 8, after openers Wasim Hussain (30) and Rahman Ali (25) and Vasu Goyal (21) had made contributions.
Glusburn are up to fourth after tasting victory for the first time, and they made hay on what must be one of the best wickets in the league, scoring 217 after winning the toss at Park Field.
However, despite 39 from captain Steve Brown, they did have to recover from 87-5, Abrar Sarwar (73) adding 65 for the sixth wicket with Harry Barker (12), No 9 Danny Ridehalgh (38no) then putting on 48 for the last wicket with Brett Parkin (6).
Sarwar (3-16) and Ridehalgh (3-21) completed fine all-round matches, backed up by Umar Farooq (31) as cellar dwellers Haworth were skittled for 93.
Also notching their first win were Bradley on a good day for the promoted duo, who were sent in by hosts Wilsden and made 142.
Keeper Dave Hunt (30) and Iklaq Ahmed (38) were the main men with the bat, and Zain Naeem then took over with the ball, bagging 5-34 as Wilsden were back in the pavilion for 109.
Silsden, whose 2023 was hampered by a points deduction, lead Division Two on 50 points and were also in the runs at Cononley, making 243 after winning the toss.
Joshua Waind went at the home attack from the off and finished with 105, which included seven fours and 10 sixes, and he added 82 for the third wicket with Cameron Knowles (20).
Keeper Tom Greenwood more than played his hand with 65, hitting five fours and three sixes, and put on 58 for the fourth wicket with Waind and 32 for the last with Kieran Lawrence (8).
Herbie Starkey (6-47) was the stand-out Cononley bowler, and he then scored 30, adding 62 for the third wicket with his brother Andrew (39) after they had been 0-2, but there was nothing else to speak of as they were dismissed for 124, Ben Sugden bagging 5-35 and Knowles 2-23.
Just a point behind Silsden are Thornton-in-Craven, who scored 185 after winning the toss at home to Sutton, opener Scott Howarth-Hynes dominating the innings with 79.
He put on 70 for the fifth wicket with Chris Bowler (39), the most successful Sutton bowlers being Sachin Abraham (3-35) and Dave Snowden (5-40), who was the fifth bowler used.
Sutton, who are in danger of a second straight demotion, were 58-1 in reply, with Sam Solley making 29 and Snowden 17, but they could only total 102, losing two wickets at 58, two more at 60 and finally two at 102.
Opening bowlers Ian Holden (4-46) and Rob Cockell (3-43) eventually put Sutton on the back foot, Rob Foster nipping in with 2-0 at the end.
There was a tight match at Scotchman Road, where Bowling Baptists made 130, despite Qamar Zulfiqar taking 5-30 and Azhar Iqbal 3-31.
Only three Skipton CI players then made double figures, but that was still enough to help them to 114, Zulfiqar completing a superb match by scoring 41.
Cowling II lead the way in Division Three after winning a low-scoring affair at home to Wilsden II.
Haseeb Majid (23) and Ben Davy (21) were the only players to top 20 in Cowling’s 108 after they won the toss, and Majid then showed his skill with the ball by bagging 4-25, backed up by Ubaid Rauf (3-42) and Yash Sethiya (3-6), as the next-to-bottom visitors were restricted to 84.
Sutton II are off the mark after castling Gargrave II for just 32 at Royd Hill, the wickets being shared by 15-year-old Sam Stoneman (3-4), 18-year-old Laurence Powell (3-13) and 14-year-old Will Tedder (3-2).
No-one made double figures as the innings was wrapped up in 18.4 overs after Sutton had made 115-8, 44 of which came from veteran Tony Walton as Will Storr took 4-20 and Ben Wood 2-20.
Silsden II, who were 16-4 and 59-7 at home to Bradford & Bingley III, did well to reach 105, chiefly thanks to Finlay Nixon-Snowden’s 31, but despite Bilal Mahmood (5-28) dismissing five of the first six batters, Bingley won by four wickets, having been 22-5.
Skipton CI II, relegated last season, are making a good early fist of getting straight back as they lie second in Division Four on 48, a point behind surprise front-runners Hepworth & Idle III.
The Sandylanders won the toss at home to struggling Ingrow II and scored 244-8, keeper Naveed Hussain hitting 12 fours in his 78, other telling contributions coming from Edwin Sebastian (34), Danyal Iqbal (53no) and Jibin Jacob (40no).
Matt Ryder then bagged 3-14, Jacob 2-17 and Irfan Badshah 2-25 as the visitors were pegged back to 99-8 in their 40 overs.
Bradley II are third, four points further back, after defeating Menston V by 35 runs.
Harry Andrews scored 52 opening the batting for Bradley, who made 144, with Andrews putting on 61 for the second wicket with Tom Long (20), although they had subsided from 83-1.
Luke Watson (5-26) and Charlie Andrews (3-19) then proved deadly with the ball as Menston were back in the pavilion for 109.
Umar Dar (27) and Ryan Fountain (21no) did best with the bat for Glusburn II in a total of 121 at Airedale II.
Tahir Mehmood (6-10) then proved unplayable as the visitors were sent packing for 45, having been 30-1, Rafaqat Hussain taking 3-6 in a triumph for the fourth and fifth bowlers used.
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