HAVING retained the Wynn Cup on Sunday, Gargrave are closing in on a double.

With six matches left, they are still 25 points clear of second-placed Haworth Road Meths in Division One of the Timothy Taylor’s Craven League.

Hosts Bradley chose to bat, but soon regretted it as they were castled for 62, 34 of which came from No 6 Shahzad GullBahar.

Joe Wood (5-17), Will Smith (3-10) and George Gregson (2-1) shared the wickets in the 28.2 overs needed, and Gargrave then took just 8.5 overs to knock the runs off for the loss of one wicket, with Lee Barrett 23 not out and Matt Simpson 34 not out.

Cowling’s title challenge has faded after Glusburn won an entertaining derby at Keighley Road by two wickets.

Opting to bat, Cowling were indebted to their keeper Abid Sharif, who went in first wicket down but was last out at 214, having scored 83 off 126 balls including 14 fours.

He added 87 for the sixth wicket with Rahman Ali (42) but they collapsed from 204-6, with Abrar Sarwar (3-42) having made a mess of the top order and Umar Farooq (3-45) cleaning up the tail.

However, Glusburn were in bother at 19-3, Hussnain Ishaq (3-27) claiming all three wickets before the innings revived with stands of 44, 51, 48 and 36 as they won by two wickets off the penultimate ball of the 40th over.

Opener Dipesh Mistry (44) put on 44 with Muhammad Hussnain (28) for the fourth wicket and 51 with Sarwar (55no) for the fifth.

Sarwar, whose runs came off 64 balls and contained seven fours and a six, then added 48 with Irfan Khaliq (31) and 38 with Farooq (30) to foil Hussnain Ishaq (3-27).

In Division Two, Silsden’s second loss of the league season caused them to lose first place to Bowling Baptists.

Fifth-placed Airedale won the toss and chose to bat at the Airedale Oval, scoring 200-8, which seemed impossible when they were 59-8, only for Younis Shahzad (51no) and Ijaz Shah (74no) to add 141 unbroken.

That rather ruined the earlier good work of Dom Mortimer (4-38) and Mohsan Gulbhar (3-28),

Silsden, who were dismissed for 134, were then too reliant on skipper Jack Roberts, who scored 62 off 47 balls, including 10 fours and a six, adding 39 for the last wicket with Seth Wiseman, whose contribution was one not out off 26 balls.

Meanwhile, Skipton CI slipped a spot to fourth after a 79-run defeat at Denholme, who scored 203 after winning the toss, although they stuttered from 148-3 to Azhar Iqbal (6-47) and Tanveer Hussain (3-57).

CI were 16-6 in reply but ended up on 124 after the wagging tail of Sohail Choudary (26), keeper Darren Pighills (33) and Rashad Mahmood-Taj (31), with Ryan Judson taking 7-42 including a hat-trick.

Thornton-in-Craven climbed one place to fifth thanks to a well-paced reply at Ingrow, who made 202-9 after winning the toss, Matt Bowler being the best of the visitors’ bowlers with 2-13.

Scott Howarth-Hynes (30) and David Holt (53, including 10 fours and a six) gave the bordermen a fine start with a stand of 53, and captain Jack Laycock (60no) then combined well with Holt in a third-wicket partnership of 62.

Bowker (30) then put on 42 with his skipper to give Thornton a five-wicket win in the 36th over, with Laycock’s runs coming off 58 deliveries and containing seven fours and two sixes.

Sutton, who were without both David Snowden and Sam Solley, dropped two places to sixth after a batting collapse at home to new leaders Bowling Baptists.

Captain and keeper Ollie Gledhill (13) was the only player to reach double figures in Sutton’s 71, who were dismissed in 19.1 overs after being sent in, and Baptists then won by nine wickets in 9.2 overs.

Cononley remain seventh, despite defeating visitors Hepworth & Idle II by 37 runs.

The reliable Andrew Starkey made 40 for the hosts, who were sent in, but the real impetus in their 165 came from Colin Stead in the middle order, who scored 68 off 69 balls, including eight fours and three sixes.

No 10 Ihsanullah Daulatzia (21) kept him company in a partnership of 45, and although six of the Westfield Laners reached double figures, they could only muster 128, with Scott Brook (3-45), Daulatzia (3-24) and Tom Feather (2-25) among the wickets.

On a bad day for the Cobbydalers, Silsden II also lost, but they are clinging on to second place in Division Three, albeit with Cowling II, Menston IV and Bradford & Bingley now breathing down their necks.

Silsden did not really cash in after winning the toss, making only 132 at home to Menston after collapsing from 102-3.

Hugh Sugden (24), keeper James Nelson (21) and Tom Leach (45) had given the hosts that fine start, but only skipper Tom Feather (17) did much after that.

Menston then won by two wickets with four overs to spare.

There was an identical margin of victory for Cowling II against Keighley III at Marley, with the hosts making 140 after being sent in, the wickets being shared between Ubaid Rauf (3-24), Haseeb Majid (5-37) and Awais Riaz (2-12).

Things looked dodgy for Cowling when they were 84-8, but they were seen to victory by Rauf (31no) and Riaz (16no) in an unbroken stand of 57 after Irfan Ishaq had made 41.

Gargrave II are now the best of the rest in sixth place after winning at bottom-of-the-table Wilsden II, who were dismissed for 117 after being sent in.

Dom Kay took 4-23 and Tom Storr 3-21, and Kay then starred with the bat, hitting 43 not out in a seven-wicket victory achieved at the end of the 34th over, adding 60 unbroken with opener Neil Fraser-Dibb (34no).

Sutton II conceded to leaders Long Lee, and drop one place to seventh as a result.

In Division Four, Bradley II could only field 10 men at home to Ingrow II, which could have proved fatal.

They dismissed the visitors for 115, with Mohammad Imran taking 4-23 and Nasar Riaz 3-33, but then needed all 10 batters in their reply.

Harry Andrews (45) put on 45 for the first wicket with Chris Kimberley (9), but 88-3 became 109-8 as the change bowlers did their stuff, and it needed keeper Josh Whiteoak (8no) and Imran (6no) to get them over the line in the 31st over with a last-wicket partnership of nine.

Skipton CI II kept the pressure on the leaders, and are now just 10 points behind after a 64-run win against Denholme II at Sandylands.

Keeper Naveed Hussain (44) and Jonathan Sharpe (50) put on 54 for openers, and then Sharpe added 52 for the fourth wicket with Jibin Jacob (29), Danyal Iqbal (17) then putting on 25 with Sharpe.

However, 162-4 became 168 all out, but there was no need to worry as Iqbal then took 5-25 as Denholme were back in the pavilion for 104.

Glusburn II are down to fourth on 123 points, swapping places with Bowling Baptists II, who defeated them by 141 runs at Park Field.

Baptists made 239-5 after losing the toss, with Ikram Ahmed taking 3-53 and Rafaqat Hussain 2-35.

Glusburn were never in the hunt after tea, however, being dismissed for 98 inside 29 overs, despite 32 from opener Hussain, 17 by skipper Tom Simpson and 21 not out by Tillaat Ahmed.