AHSAN Mahmood may have ended up on the losing side, but he has still entered the Mewies Solicitors Craven League record books.

The Skipton CI bowler took FIVE wickets in FIVE balls at home to Silsden in Division Two, but his team went down by 21 runs.

The Cobbydalers won the toss and made 107, opener Tom Bradley (25) adding 58 for the fourth wicket with Dom Mortimer (48no), who then watched the carnage unfold from the bowler’s end.

Silsden went from 80-3 to 80-8 before the last two wickets put on 27, Mahmood ending up with figures of 7.2-1-36-6, Muddasar Khan taking 2-24.

Three of Mahmood’s successive five wickets were bowled, one was leg before and the other caught and bowled.

He has become the third player to achieve the five-in-five feat in the Craven League, joining M Thompson (Skipton LMS v Keighley Tech II in 1968) and F Welch (Barnoldswick III v Glusburn II in 1978).

However, the trio are still some way off the record, which is SEVEN in SEVEN by W Johnson for Cononley II against Glusburn II in 1932. 

Mahmood then opened the batting and scored 31, but only Khan (16) also reached double figures as they were dismissed for 86, Alex Nelson bagging 3-25, Mortimer 3-19 and Ben Sugden 3-17.

Silsden lead the Division Two table on 36 points, while Thornton-in-Craven have climbed to fourth after winning a low-scoring match at Sandy Lane.

Bradford & Bingley III, sent in, were dismissed for 58, having been 26-6, with Ian Holden (3-10), Mark Laycock (3-28) and Jack Laycock (3-12) among the wickets.

Matt Bowker (26) led the reply, keeper Jonny Martin scoring 14 as the visitors triumphed by four wickets.

Ingrow skipper Ben Weatherall had a lucky escape at Glusburn when, fielding at short midwicket, he was struck by the ball just above the right eye socket from a powerful slog sweep by opener Matt Lloyd.

Ingrow, asked to bat, made 161, Weatherall scoring 41 and last pair John Duffey (8) and Tobias Hartley (12no) putting on 36, Danny Ridehalgh taking 7-66.

Glusburn won by eight wickets, with Lloyd scoring 82, including 11 fours and three sixes off 77 balls, and adding 135 for the first wicket with Dave Henson (41).

Bradley were involved in a superb match at Long Lee, making 215-9 after winning the toss.

Mohammed Qadeer (46), Akeel Rashid (34), Juni Ashraf (24), captain Zain Naeem (27) and Adnan Mahmood (41no) were in the runs for Bradley, Long Lee replying with 216-9 in 42.5 overs to frustrate Zafar Iqbal (3-47), Naeem (3-44) and Henry Meynell (2-27).

Cowling are leading Division One after a 16-run victory over Eldwick & Gilstead at Grange Road.

Captain Martyn Dalby (28), Rahman Ali (26) and Daud Khan (28) all got into the twenties in Cowling’s 137, and four of the last five home batters then made ducks as they were dismissed for 121, with Mohammed Shah Usman causing the collapse with 6-13, backed up by Connor Brown (3-22).

Another tight match came at Denholme, who defeated Sutton by nine runs.

Denholme made 128, Sachin Abraham taking out the lower order in his 6-30, with George Elrick bagging 3-21.

In the reply, Aneesh Babu made 49, adding 50 for the fifth wicket with Abraham (8), but lacked support as they collapsed from 100-4 to 119 all out.

Gargrave lost by 36 runs at home to Riddlesden, despite Ben Howlett (5-48) finishing off the tail and Joe Wood returning 3-31 in the hosts’ 142.

Matthew Beckwith scored 40 after tea, putting on 42 for the sixth wicket with Wood (15) after Gargrave were 31-5, but they could only total 106.

Cononley seem intent on mounting another promotion tilt in Division Three and are one of four unbeaten teams.

They dismissed hosts Cowling II for 143 after the latter won the toss at Keighley Road, Avijeet Ghosh (35no) doing best with the bat as Herbie Starkey took 3-15, Tom Feather 2-8 and Scott Brook 2-29.

Cononley then breezed home by seven wickets inside 27 overs, with Andrew Starkey unbeaten on 67, skipper Nathan Parker having scored 43.

Shahid Hassan (2-24) was the best of Cowling’s seven bowlers.

Gargrave II went down by 66 runs at leaders Bowling Baptist, who made 171-7, despite Rob Storr taking 3-38 and Ben Wood 2-31.

Wood then completed a solid match with 36 at No 7, but only three other players made double figures – Tom Vernon (12), Kieran Ashley (13no) and No 11 Storr (10).

Skipton CI II had a Sabbath trip to unbeaten Keighley III, who posted 191-5, Matt Ryder (2-42) and Tariq Ghani (2-15) doing best with the ball for the visitors, who were then back in the pavilion for 108.

Ryder scored 39 and Irfan Badshah 23, adding 50 for the eighth wicket from 43-7.

Silsden II lead Division Four after defeating fellow new boys Menston Crompark II by seven wickets in Cobbydale.

Joe Sugden (4-19) and TJ Berry (2-14) put the skids under Crompark, who made 82 after being sent in, and Silsden were careful when they batted, taking 27 overs to reach their target.

Experienced opener Hugh Sugden (37), under-13 dual registration Archie Cox (13) and captain Tom Snowden (22) were the wickets to fall.

Sutton II got off the mark with an eight-wicket triumph at home to 10-man Glusburn II, who were castled for 117 after being sent in, captain Mark Pickles (28) and Sam Britten (36) putting on 54 for the third wicket.

Jack Middleton (3-14) and Ali Hussain (3-23) were among the wickets and then the runs, with under-15 Middleton hitting 54 not out and Hussain 21 not out in an unbroken stand of 70 after captain Craig Thornton had made 31.

Pickles took 2-24 as the target was reached in the 31st over.

Bradley II conceded a walkover at home to Long Lee II.