Bowlers pave way as Horbury Bridge clinch promotion to Premier Division
Horbury Bridge are celebrating after earning promotion to the Premier Division of the Pontefract Cricket League.
In a race that came right down to the final Saturday of the season Bridge edged out Darton to finish in second place in the Championship behind champions Garforth.
Victory by eight wickets at Thurnscoe Institute ensured that they finished three points ahead of third-placed Darton and will now take their place in the top flight next year.
Horbury made short work of winning their final match as they bowled Thurnscoe out for only 93 with Arslan Shahid (5-38) and Tom Womersley (5-33) taking the wickets.
Leo Marshall then led them home with an unbeaten 54 off 43 balls.
Elsewhere in the Championship Crofton Phoenix and Notton Challengers filled the bottom two places.
Crofton did finish their season on a winning note, beating Askern Welfare seconds by 25 runs despite only making 119.
Farhan Akhlaq took 4-23 as Askern were dismissed for 94.
Notton lost by eight wickets to Rothwell after they were bowled out for 173. Syed (52no) top scored with Saad Shaik hitting 42.
Joss Pickup (89no) and Bradley Jennings (47no) led Rothwell home with 13.2 overs to spare.
Newton Hill missed out on the Division One title by two points despite winning their last match against South Kirkby seconds by five wickets – but they will be promoted after finishing runners-up.
After keeping Kirkby to 137-8, with Akhil Raghav taking 3-25, they sailed home as opener Tom Billsborough hit 80 from 73 balls.
The big game in the Premier Division saw South Kirkby clinch the title with a five-wicket success at Normanton MIB who were bowled out for 108 with Kamran Farooq (24) top scoring.
Hemsworth MW leapfrogged Calder Grove to finish in sixth place after beating them by two wickets.
In a high scoring game the hosts did well to overhaul Grove’s big 329-6 total, which included a superb 153 from opener Ryan Jones.
Old Sharlston have narrowly avoided relegation, but lost their last game of the season by 11 runs to Knottingley Town.
Danny Bullock’s 59 proved in vain as the third from bottom team were all out for 173 in reply to 184-9.
Nostell St Oswald’s relegation fate was sealed a few weeks ago and they ended their Premier stay with a 121-run defeat to Brodsworth Main.
They were all out for 129 despite a battling 47 from Jodha Singh.