Honley and Shepley gearing up for battle

WITH 10 matches left, the Premiership looks a two-horse race between Honley and their chief pursuers Shepley.

Until Scholes took the Championship crown last season, Honley had won it for a record four successive years and the men from Far End Lane are blazing a familiar trail again.

They underlined their credentials on Saturday with an eight-wicket success at third-placed Delph & Dobcross in a match reduced by the weather to 25 overs-a-side.

Delph, who had piled up 342 runs against Elland just six days earlier to win the Sykes Cup semi-final, were ousted for 104, Harlon Haye and Richie Howarth shining with the ball.

After losing Simon Kelly for 36 and Richard Jakeman for 34, Honley easily reached their target, Max Joice making an undefeated 36. Honley continue to lead Shepley by seven points after the latter's seven-wicket victory at Elland where Australian Leigh Millar and captain Danny Glover hustled the home side out for 130. Shepley took 24.2 overs to overhaul that modest total, No 3 batsman Tim Rees striking 13 boundaries in an undefeated 68.

The top two have opened a gap of 19 points over Delph & Dobcross and Hoylandswaine. Marsden, promoted along with Hoylandswaine and Kirkburton last season, could not prevent an eight-wicket win for the Barnsley-based side. Martin Kyle and Chris Coleman hoisted half-centuries for Marsden who batted first and totalled 241-7. However, the honours went to Yorkshire batsman Joe Sayers who flayed 149 not out for Hoylandswaine in an innings containing 18 fours and seven sixes.

Scholes recorded their fifth successive league victory, defeating visitors Kirkburton by 37 runs.

Steve Whitwam and Luke Kentish had a third wicket partnership of 139 in Golcar's eight-wicket triumph at Broad Oak, but bottom of the table Holmfirth suffered a sixth successive defeat at home to Slaithwaite for whom Bjorn Taylor hit 70 and Ibrar Younas took six wickets. Javed Iqbal also had six victims for Holmfirth but at a cost of 98 runs.

The irrepressible Wasim Jaffer made 81 as Skelmanthorpe beat Barkisland by three runs.