GARGRAVE have suffered their first defeat of the season in Division One of the Timothy Taylor’s Craven League.

A poor batting display at Grange Road led to an eight-wicket setback against Eldwick & Gilstead, who, like Cowling, have narrowed the gap on the leaders to 18 points at the league’s halfway stage.

Sent in, Gargrave were toppled for 96, with Matt Simpson (40) easily the best of the four players to reach double figures.

The hosts then won by five wickets inside 26 overs.

Cowling, who are behind E&G on net run rate, also have 112 points after beating Jonny Thompson-inspired visitors Hepworth & Idle by 15 runs.

Martyn Dalby and Danish Hameed both scored 29 for Cowling after they chose to bat, with keeper Abid Sharif (49) putting on 49 for the third wicket with Hameed in their 146.

The Westfield Laners only had three players in double figures compared to Cowling’s six, but Thompson scored 52 to back up his 5-36, yet finished on the losing side as Hameed also completed a fine all-round day with 4-29, with Junaid Gulnawaz taking 3-41 and Hamid Ullah 2-28.

Bradley have dropped one spot to seventh on the back of a 24-run defeat at home to Haworth Road Meths, who made 201-5 after winning the toss.

Bradley were 99-6 in reply, but did well to make 177 after opener and keeper Dave Hunt made 40, Juni Ashraf scoring 52 at No 5 and Zain Naeem 27 at No 8.

Glusburn are now just five points further back in eighth after thrashing visitors Wilsden, who were dismissed for 48 in 19.1 overs, Irfan Khaliq taking 7-27 in 10 overs.

The hosts knocked the runs off for the loss of one wicket in just 9.5 overs for a maximum points haul against the bottom club.

Silsden seem likely to replace either Wilsden or Haworth as they are in a two-horse race for the Division Two title with Bowling Baptists.

The Cobbydalers went to the top of the table by a single point after getting 20 points in defeating third-placed visitors Skipton CI.

Sent in, Silsden racked up an impressive 257-7, with Cameron Knowles making an unbeaten 118 in the middle order, his runs coming off 114 deliveries and containing 15 fours and three sixes.

He added 66 for the fifth wicket with Mohsan Gulbhar (31) and 68 unbroken with No 9 Bilal Mahmood (36no), Tanveer Hussain doing well to take 2-25.

No-one broke 30 in CI’s reply of 150, although opener Connors Hall Brown scored 20, Qamar Zulfiqar 22 and No 9 Waqas Shabir 24 as Knowles took 3-55, Gulbhar 3-32 and Mahmood 2-31.

Thornton in Craven dropped one place to fifth after their batting let them down at Cononley, being back in the pavilion for 127 after being sent in.

Tom Cleaver (42) and Jonny Martin (40) scored the majority of their total, adding 51 for the fifth wicket after they had been 4-4, with Cononley captain Harry Parker dismissing all four of those batters on his way to 4-32.

Scott Brook (38) and Nathan Parker (30) then added 54 for Cononley’s fourth wicket, and Tom Feather scored 22, but they only won by two wickets in the 44th over to climb two places to seventh as Joe Wolfe took 3-18, Mark Laycock 2-21 and Rob Cockell 2-30.

Sutton dropped to eighth after failing to overhaul hosts Airedale’s 172-9, despite Sachin Abraham taking 5-29.

The visitors were then back in the pavilion for 146, collapsing from 98-3, keeper Oliver Gledhill top-scoring with 34.

Silsden II are matching their first XI by being front-runners - this time in Division Three.

They were facing Bingley Congs III at Sandy Lane, and Finlay Nixon-Snowden was again an all-round star for the winners.

He took 4-46 as Congs were dismissed for 145, and then scored 37 as Silsden won by four wickets.

Backing him up were 14-year-old TJ Berry (3-35), Alex Nelson (2-33), captain and keeper James Nelson (41) and Dan Jones (18no) as the Cobbydalers took advantage of Cowling II’s defeat to climb from second.

It was only the Keighley Road club’s second defeat of the season, but it dropped them two places to third as their opponents, Long Lee, also leap-frogged them.

Sent in, Cowling made a decent start, Reyan Hassan Ali (25) being the top scorer as the top three all reached double figures, but only one other player did so later as they were dismissed for a disappointing 105.

Long Lee knocked off the runs for the loss of one wicket inside 23 overs.

Sutton II also found run-making difficult at home to Keighley III, who made 151-8 after losing the toss, 18-year-olds Greg Riddiough (3-24) and Laurence Powell (2-10) being the best of seven bowlers used.

Despite 54 from captain Craig Thornton, who dropped into the middle order and hit six fours and two sixes in a 57-ball stay, fifth-placed Sutton had only two other players into double figures as they were rolled over for 107.

Gargrave II won a thriller at home to Bradford & Bingley III by one wicket to climb a place to sixth.

Bingley won the toss, but could only score 105 as Tom Storr (5-28) and Ben Wood (2-31) cashed in.

However, Gargrave needed Dom Fernyhough to play a captain’s innings of 56 not out, including six fours, to see his team home at the end of the 44th over, Charlie Gibbons (2no) helping him add 15 crucial runs for the last wicket.

Bradley II still head Division Four on 120 points, despite having a free week, but Glusburn II are now only one point behind, albeit having played a game more.

Sent in by visitors Menston V, Glusburn made 158-9, with the top four all getting starts, headed by Umar Dar (45) and the experienced Alan Coney (20).

Ryan Fountain (22) and Sam Britton (18no) then weighed in down the order, and Menston were then castled for 68 by Steve Poole (4-15 off seven overs) and Rafaqat Hussain (3-9 off five overs).

Skipton CI II are also in the title mix after an equally comprehensive win at home to Haworth II.

CI were asked to bat and saw openers Naveed Hussain (59) and Jonathan Sharpe (13) put on 57, but they collapsed from 85-1 to 123-7 before being revived by skipper Matt Ryder (20) and Rashad Mahmood-Taj (14).

Facing a score of 170-9, the Brontelanders were dismissed for 57, with Ryder taking 4-8, Sefal Allam 2-7 off 10 overs and Jibin Jacob 2-19.