IT WAS advantage bowlers in the Timothy Taylor’s Craven League on Saturday, but no-one told Thornton-in-Craven.

Sent in by visitors Wilsden, the home side racked up 226-4 off their 40 overs in their Wynn Cup Group B fixture, with openers Tom Cleaver (40) and Scott Howarth-Hynes (74) putting on 79.

The in-form Howarth-Hynes then added 54 for the second wicket with James Mellin (29) before Jonny Martin (43no) and David Holt (22no) put on 62 for the fourth, with Thornton-in-Craven’s worst stand being 31.

Wilsden had a partnership of 57 for the second wicket between opener Mohammed Qasim Hussain (31) and Pete Longley (27), but no other player made above 14 and they were dismissed for 137, with Joe Wolfe (3-28) and Jack Laycock (3-19) making a mess of the middle and lower order.

Holders Gargrave top the table with two wins out of two, but they didn’t find things easy at home to Long Lee, despite the visitors being dismissed for 75 after winning the toss.

Dave Harrop (7-17) put the skids under their innings, but Gargrave were then 35-6, Shahbaz Ahmed taking 4-11, before a crucial stand of 34 between Harrop (15) and Lee Barrett (19no), who saw his team to a three-wicket win in the 24th over.

Hepworth & Idle have matched Gargrave’s six points, while Sutton, whose game at Eldwick & Gilstead never started, are third on four points.

Silsden, who are fourth, got off the mark with a three-wicket victory at Glusburn, who were back in the pavilion for 98 after choosing to bat.

That total looked unlikely when they were 63-9, but No 10 Zahid Iqbal hit six fours in his 29 in a last-wicket stand of 35 after Will Pullen (6-26) had put Silsden in the box seat.

The Cobbydalers were in bother themselves at 20-4, but found the man for the moment in Rob Jones, whose unbeaten 67 off 47 balls, including seven fours and four sixes, saw them to a three-wicket victory after 24 overs.

Jones added 52 for the fifth wicket with Sam Barraclough (8).

Opener Joshua Waind (13) was the only other player to make double figures as Irfan Khaliq kept things interesting with 4-23.

Cononley, who have lost both their matches, could only muster 79 after choosing to bat at Westfield Lane, Andrew Starkey (19) doing the best of three players in double figures as they collapsed from 68-4.

Hepworth & Idle then won by three wickets in just the 16th over, Zabidullah Kareemi taking 2-37.

In Group A, Bradley were given much-needed impetus by a fifth-wicket partnership after they chose to have first knock against Airedale at Matthew Lane.

The hosts were 48-4, only to be revived by 20-year-old Toby Meynell (56) and Juni Ashraf (38), who added 91 as they recovered to 163-7.

Airedale then collapsed from 48-2 to 77-8 on their way to being dismissed for 96, the wickets being shared by Zain Naeem (3-33), 18-year-old Henry Meynell (3-20) and Iklaq Ahmed (2-15).

Meanwhile, Skipton CI got off the mark in emphatic style, dismissing hosts Denholme for 70 on the way to a seven-wicket victory, with change bowlers Muddassar Khan and Qamar Zulfiqar, who both took 3-12, triggering a collapse from 39-2.

CI were 28-2 in reply before Ahsan Mahmood (40no) steadied the ship as CI won in the 29th over.

In the John Clayton Cup - the 40-overs-per-side competition for lower-raked teams - Sutton II lead the table with a maximum six points.

They hosted Hepworth & Idle III, who made 126 after being sent in, Will Tedder (4-21) and brothers Ben (3-30) and Jack Middleton (2-17) taking the bulk of the wickets.

Jack, who at 15 is three years younger than Ben, then completed a fine match by scoring 54 not out as Sutton won by eight wickets.

His knock only lasted 55 balls and included 10 fours, captain Craig Thornton doing his bit with 28 as the target was passed in the 22nd over.

Glusburn II kept pace with Sutton by defeating Bowling Baptists II by 34 runs, while Silsden II were also victors - by three wickets at home to Bradford & Bingley III.

Bingley made 118 after being sent in, recovering from 10-3 but then losing their last five wickets for just five runs, with Bilal Mahmood having the outstanding analysis of 7-4-9-5, Gareth Smith backing him up with 3-6.

Tom Snowden then played a captain’s knock with 42 not out, Keenan Wozny having earlier made 21.

There was no play in the match between Skipton CI II and Gargrave II at Sandylands.

Bradley II still have a perfect record in the Cowling Cup - the T20 competition for lower-ranked sides.

They were at Sandy Lane, and inserted Bingley Congs III, dismissing them for 69, Mohammed Qadeer claiming the first three Congs batters on the way to taking 3-9.

Bradley’s top three got few runs either, but they had Luke Watson at No 4, who finished on 40 not out as the visitors won by six wickets with two overs to spare.

Cowling II were also six-wicket winners on their travels, this time at Long Lee II.

Ubaid Rauf (3-15), Majid Iqbal (3-7) and Sajid Shafait (2-21) put the men from Golden View on the back foot as they made 93-9.

Haseeb Majid then scored 54 as the visitors passed their target with only 14.1 overs gone.