Airedale & Wharfedale League: Bilton CC close in on immediate return to top flight
Bilton CC are within touching distance of securing an immediate return to the Airedale & Wharfedale Premier Division after recording their 15th league win of the season.
Ryan Heptinstall’s men beat Olicanian by seven wickets on Saturday afternoon to move 31 points clear at the top of Division One with just three matches left to play this term.
And, with their advantage over third-placed Kirkstall Educational now standing at 42 points, both promotion and the league title will be rubber-stamped if they beat second-placed Rawdon next weekend.
Skipper Heptinstall led by example at Olicanian, snapping up 6-43 to help get rid of the home side for 188.
Tyson Windus (88 not out) and Rob Taylor (46) then guided Bilton to 191/3 in just 24 overs.
Already-relegated Follifoot endured another miserable afternoon when they suffered a crushing 297-run loss at Menston.
Chasing a whopping first-innings total of 408/3, the Bulls were knocked over for just 111 despite the efforts of opener James Orton (53).
Mid-table Bardsey went down by six wickets at Ilkley having been bowled out on 145.
Faisal Abid (54) struck a half-century but received little by way of support from his team-mates before Sameer Manjrekar took four scalps in a losing cause.
In the Premier Division, Collingham & Linton recorded back-to-back victories as they got the better of Beckwithshaw.
Charlie Swallow top-scored with 59 not out, while Jonathan Haslem hit 39 in the hosts’ 215/6 from their 50 overs, a total which proved to be beyond ‘Shaw.
Miles Buller contributed 37 for the Stags, though they were all out for 183 in the end, thanks largely to some fine bowling by Luke Jarvis (5-33) and Toby Jacklin (3-49).
That result leaves Collingham sixth in the table, and ‘Shaw stuck in ninth.