AFTER a storming start to the season, Settle finally conceded their Ribblesdale League Senior Section title after losing heavily at Read on Saturday.

Will Davidson (35), Shakeel Richards (21) and John Davidson (27) all made good starts up the order and Alan Lones remained 16 not out at the end, but 136 from 29 overs looked hard to defend.

Read cruised to their target inside 22 overs, Will Davidson taking Settle’s solitary wicket.

The Marshfield men had a much better time of it in their derby game with Earby on Sunday, beating the Lancastrians by 46 runs.

Will Davidson (25) and Jack Harrison (13) set the tone before wickets started falling. John Davidson then dominated the middle order with 41 runs, backed up by 23 from skipper Tom Davidson and a lively 25 from Josh Mullinder. Richard Craddock took 3-63 and there were two wickets apiece for Luke Hipgrave and Sam Parry as Settle reached 197-9.

Openers Matthew Nutter (15) and Craddock (29) responded well until Nutter holed out from Mullinder, and Craddock looked stunned to be clean bowled in Andrew Davidson’s second over.

The veteran, out of retirement for the umpteenth time, had already entertained the crowd by stealing singles and winning overthrows in the first innings.

He now spun his way through the Earby line-up for an analysis of 6-57 from 14 overs.

Lee Parkinson made 16 before falling to a caught-and-bowled from Will Davidson’s first ball, and Luke Hipgrave was 47 not out at the end.

Crucially, the visitors had no real answer to Davidson senior’s nagging length, line and turn, finishing on 151 all out.

Oswaldtwistle are the new Senior champions but Settle can challenge Read for the runners-up spot as they host Cherry Tree on Saturday in the last league match of the season.

On Sunday they travel to Salesbury for the much-postponed 20/20 Finals Day.

Settle seconds guaranteed their place in Division One next year by beating Read by 79 runs at home on Saturday.

James Pickard (30) and Harry Snowden (22) put on 60 for the second wicket, followed by forceful knocks from Tom Harris (36) and skipper Ben Mitchell (26).

Chasing 139, the visitors lost three wickets in the first two overs and never recovered, slumping to 60 all out. Joseph Handy returned career-best figures of 6-14 with the help of two stumpings by his father Neil, recalled to the team after a two-year absence.

Sunday’s match at Burnley Belvedere saw the seconds just fall short of a second win, but earned them four points.

The hosts made 108-9, Alan Lones taking 3-17 and Joseph Handy again in the wickets with 3-44. John Tarbox took 2-27 in 14 tight overs and David Hulse claimed three victims behind the stumps.

In reply, Tarbox (41) and Lones (24) were the only Settle batsmen to make double figures as the lower order fell to Mohammed Arif with an extraordinary performance of five wickets for one run in 14 balls as his side won by 13 runs.