It was lambs to the slaughter when we entertained Shepley. The visitors openers put on 182 for the first wicket and we were lucky to restrict them to 325 for 5.
Sarfraz 46 and Drysdale 34 gave us a reasonable start and there was a time when we felt we might get a point but in the end we were all out for 179. Sarfraz became the second player to reach his 500 run target in the first eleven. Joe Sykes at this point had scored 535 runs in a mixture of first and second team cricket.
With Barkisland trailing us in the League the trip to Calderdale was of utmost importance. A delayed start meant the game was restricted to 40 overs. The home side started in confident fashion scoring runs at a good pace.
Scott Dyson curbed them with a four wicket spell but 196 for 9 was a formidable target.
It became even more so when we had lost two wickets and scored only 23 runs after ten overs. The tail wagged a bit but we were all out for 139 meaning Barkisland were now on equal points with Slaithwaite trailing six points back.