The top two in Division Three Skipton and Upper Wharfedale are set to meet in a showdown at Sandylands on Saturday which will go a long way towards deciding who wins promotion.
Skipton currently lead the table by eight points from Upper Wharfedale with Horsforth a point further back.
Both teams warmed up for their crucial match with victories last Saturday.
Skipton shrugged off a bit of a scare to defeat lowly Alwoodley by four wickets, while Upper Wharfedale will be full of confidence after beating Hall Park by 234 runs – the biggest winning margin in their history.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly for Skipton as they dismissed Alwoodley for 174.
Paceman Faisal Hussain took 3-26, while Andrew Fergie (2-28) and Richard Nichols (2-51) gave good support.
Skipton’s hopes of wrapping up victory looked distinctly shaky when they slid to 77-6.
One of the surprise results of the season was a distinct possibility until Rob Walker (53no) and Izaak Beck steadied their side’s nerves with an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 101 Upper Wharfedale were put in on a sticky wicket at Hall Park and their openers Jamie Freebury and Bobby Wilson immediately seized the initiative.
They put together a stand of 143 before Australian Wilson was dismissed for 56.
Skipper Freebury departed for a fine 86 as wickets tumbled until Callum Lockett (67) and Dan Parkinson (36) bludgeoned late runs to swell the score to 278-8.
Hall Park’s innings never got off the ground as Josh Gill and Tom Baines extracted swing and movement off the pitch.
Gill took the first three wickets in a spell that earned him 4-24, while Baines took 5-18 as Upper Wharfedale wrapped up the six points by dismissing their rivals for 43.
Steeton eased any lingering relegation worries in Division One with a three-wicket win over Pool, which featured a 138-run stand by Aussie Ben Hillard (90no) and Jonathan Best (73).
That saw them recover from 67-6 to pass the home side’s 215-7 with three wickets in hand and just two balls to spare.
Pool had put on 67 for their opening partnership before being pegged back by Ste-phen Pearson (3-52).
A season’s best 5-21 from Richard Hey bowled out Silsden for 100 – Majid Inayat making 37 – to set up a six-wicket win for Addingham in Division Three.
But there was better news for Silsden II, who clocked up a massive 308-7 to beat hosts Addingham II.
Their total came largely thanks to a 189-run stand for the third wicket between captain Andy Pullen and Hugh Sugden.
It ended when Sugden was cau-ght on the boundary for 112 before Andy Pullen followed for 104.
Silsden’s attack soon ripped into Addingham, with Joe Hunt getting a season’s best of 6-45 and Joe Sugden taking 2-32 as the hosts were all out for 153.
Steeton II romped to a nine-wicket victory at home to Adel II, who scored a meagre 91 all out in 33 overs.
Opening bowler James Yeadon took 4-29 from 15 overs, one victim coming thanks to a great catch by Gary Boulton.
The skipper took another good catch from the bowling of Luke Watson (3-19) and earned himself a fielding point, while Paul Hardwick took 3-34.
Steeton hurried to their victory target thanks to Mick Wilson (28) and Lee Jackson (35no).
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