1st XI edge closer to Premier Division title with win at Warley

Report by P.A. Smith

Illingworth St. Mary's moved closer to ending Booth's three year reign as Premier Division Champions with a crucial win away at third placed Warley and extending their lead at the top to eighteen points with Booth slipping to a home defeat at the hands of Triangle.
Put into bat in damp conditions with a wet outfield Illingworth struggled against some tight Warley bowling but a 82 run partnership for the second wicket between Hamza Mehmood 46 and Calum Cook proved crucial. Cook 80 continued to form the backbone of the visitors innings with Luke Brooksby 26 the only other batsman to reach double figures with the slow men Matthew Steers 4-69 and Cameron Van Rensberg 3-66 hard to get away as Illingworth fell in the last over for 207.

Warley got off to a poor start struggling to 23-4 but Matthew Whitworth 33 and Greg Keywood 19 helped to form a recovery and when Keywood and Faheem Khatana 37 put on 56 in quick time the match was back on as a contest at 117-5. Despite both falling in quick succession Zeeshan Iqbal with some big hitting added 31 but when he fell to an excellent catch by Jamie Moorhouse and skipper James Cooper holed out to Veryan Brooksby it was the last of the resistance as Warley fell 30 runs short with two overs still remaining. Seven good catches by the visitors in the end proved the difference with Luke Brooksby the leading bowler taking 4-39 and a crucial contribution of 3-28 from skipper Ben Robertshaw.

With two games to play Illingworth now need 6 points to secure the Premier League Championship exactly 100 years since they last won it before moving on to play in the Yorkshire Council.