Another bumper crowd basked in sultry conditions to witness yet another enterprising day’s Ribblesdale League Senior Division cricket at the Marshfield on Saturday.

Local cricket buffs are asking the question of where would Settle be now if they had not been deprived of the services of Tom Davidson for a nine-match stint.

The general concensus is they would be in the title race.

Settle’s mid-season loss of form coincided with Davidson's departure for ankle surgery and professional Man- soor Amjad’s failure to reach the expected standards.

Amjad, recently given compassionate leave by the club due to the life-threatening hospitalisation of his son and father, will not be returning due to his father’s condition.

With Davidson back in full flow and sub pro Tanwir Afzal proving to be a big hit with players and spectators alike, Settle’s season has been turned on its head and are now chasing down a top three place.

A game full of high-quality cricket saw the Dalesmen churn out their third consecutive 230 plus total as they defeated Great Harwood by 27 runs.

An impressive opening stand of 77 set the tone for the Settle innings. Tom Davidson’s blistering 51 in 57 balls and Lawrence Read’s 38 off 58 balls enabled the home side to seize the initiative The quick scoring continued with Robbie Davidson (21), Afzal (33), Peter Cook (39) and Will Davidson (11) providing the consistancy that had been lacking.

Another bright spot for the Dalesmen was the batting performance of 15- year- old John Davidson.

Promoted due to recent quality school, county and club performances his innings against the pace of Ben Dowling and spin of pro Tiaan Cloete augers well for the future Harwood set off at an impressive rate in pursuit of the Settle total.

Cloete was driving with ease, but when he departed for 79 to a stunning Will Davidson gully catch, the required run rate climbed.

Despite a late flurry from the tail, Settle claimed full points and moved into the top five as they bowled out Great Harwood for 209.

Afzal’s 23 overs brought an impressive 6-83 return.

Tom Davidson (2-48) and Ed Read (2-37) were the other wicket takers.