BATTING frailties are not something that you normally associate with Thornton, but they have been apparent this season.
In the second round of the ENCO Halifax League’s Briggs Priestley Parish Cup on Sunday, for example, they were 100-6 at Warley & Elland, chasing 170.
However, Matty Wear came to the party with 77 not out to ensure that the holders survived.
Fellow top-flight side Shelf Northowram Hedge Top were the first team into the third-round hat, easily accounting for their hosts, Division Two Bradley & Colnebridge.
The home side could only make 76 and Owen Bairstow (52no) then led the visitors’ charge to a nine-wicket victory inside 15 overs.
Second-tier Oakworth battled hard against Premier Division title hopefuls Booth, but ultimately lost by 56 runs, while Cullingworth suffered a surprise 52-run home defeat to Mount, the visitors playing in the league below them.
Home team Luddendenfoot were asked to bat by top-flight Oxenhope, and almost pulled off a surprise win, only for Oxenhope to fight back from the dead and claim a two-wicket victory with two balls to spare.
It was a welcome success for Oxenhope, who were thumped by 140 runs on Saturday in the battle of the Premier Division’s top-two with Booth.
Those aforementioned batting frailties at Thornton were even more evident in the league than in the cup.
They slipped to 13-4 at home to Copley, needing to rely on the experienced Nikki Hutchinson’s excellent 98 not out to drag them to 185-5 from their 45 overs.
But Copley chased that down with ease, passing the total for the loss of just one wicket with nearly 10 overs to spare.
Shelf were bundled out for 118 on their way to an 80-run defeat at Triangle, while struggling Clayton fared even worse.
They were bowled out for just 111, despite Mally Nicholson’s 42, and duly lost to Bradshaw by eight wickets.
Mally Nicholson played a lone hand as Clayton crashed to a heavy league defeat to Bradshaw. (Image: Ray Spencer)
In the First Division, Low Moor Holy Trinity were another side to fail miserably with the bat, bowled out for 94 in a 144-run defeat to Stones.
Great Horton Park Chapel stopped the Bradford District rot however, winning by 47 runs against Luddendenfoot.
Oakworth also had success, beating Blackley by 106 runs.
And Queensbury remain top of the Second Division after a thrilling three-wicket win over Outlane.
Despite Darren Jack’s excellent 6-39 helping restrict Outlane to 243 all out, Queensbury’s chase was in dire straits at 196-7.
But with big-hitting Gareth Walker at the crease, they always stood a chance, and his rollicking 92 not out from 53 balls saw them over the line.