A SUPERB effort by the Marshfield groundstaff after a deluge helped Settle extend their impressive start to the Ribblesdale League season.

The Senior League leaders made 115-7 in their allotted 22 overs against Ribblesdale Wanderers on Saturday.

Tom Davidson (20) and South African overseas amateur Kyle Scheepers (19) set the pace, while Bridgetown's Sadrian Ward made 22.

Tom Strickland continues to shine with the bat, hitting a fine six in his unbeaten 16.

Ward then bowled a devastating spell of 11 hostile overs to return figures of 6-38, from which Wanderers could never recover, closing on 99-7.

Ward now has 19 wickets this season at an average of just eight per victim

Settle were on the road next day to take on Brinscall.

The visitors elected to bowl and reduced the hosts to 130 all out inside 41 overs.

A solid middle order was let down by seven batsmen scoring 18 runs between them.

The credit goes almost entirely to Settle's blossoming overseas players. Ward took 4-30 in his 12 overs, only to be outdone by Scheepers (5-37) who claimed his first five-wicket haul for the club.

Settle then had their own problems with four players out with only 17 on the board, but the dependable Callum Lockett made 31 in the middle order, bringing his total to 277 for the season.

Robbie Davidson then proceeded to crack an unbeaten half-century from just 33 balls to swing the game dramatically into Settle's favour, with the Marshfield men suddenly finding themselves winners in 28.1 overs, though with seven wickets down.

With six wins from six and way ahead in the Senior League table, the club are doing all they can to claim the championship in their 175th anniversary year.

Settle’s second string did well to bowl out Ribblesdale Wanderers in 32 overs at Church Meadow but it came at the heavy cost of 152 runs.

Oliver Whyte (2-42) dismissed both openers with just 19 on the board, and John Tarbox (2-31) carried on his productive season.

Left-arm paceman Damon Barrett (5-46) produced his first five-wicket haul for three years as he removed the hosts’ middle order.

In reply, Tarbox (15) and Robert Johnson (13) batted soundly, while James Pickard (25) is maintaining an excellent strike rate (94) this year and averaging just under 20.

Top scorer was Benjamin Hulse who hit 27 runs in a happy return to his old form. However, the last six wickets fell for just eight runs as Settle were shot out for 100.

Both Settle teams face Wanderers again this Saturday, this time in the Ramsbottom and Lawrenson Cups. The firsts are at Marshfield and the seconds return to Church Meadow looking to make amends.