The basis of many great dishes is a good stock.

This week, Glenn Futter shares a stock recipe that’ll last a lifetime.

“To me, being able to make a good stock is an essential kitchen skill. However, it seems to be one of those things which is often bought at the supermarket – but you’re missing a trick; it can easily be made at home. The difference between a readymade and homemade stock is the difference between a good and a great dish!

“The great thing about a good vegetable stock is that you can pretty much add in whatever vegetables you like and have to hand. This week, I’ve decided to keep it pretty simple so that you can get the basics right and experiment at a later date.”

Equipment

Heavy based pan, chopping board, sharp knife, strainer

Ingredients

2 onions (large), 3 carrots (large), 3 celery sticks, 2 large tomatoes, 15 black peppercorns (whole), small bunch of parsley, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 garlic cloves

Method

lFirstly, place your heavy-based pan on the hob over a medium to high heat and add your olive oil.

lNow - whilst the oil is warming up - peel the skins off your onions and chop the celery, tomatoes and carrots into good sized chunks. You don’t even need to peel your celery and carrots!

lNow that your pan is nice and hot, add your vegetables and let them sweat slowly for around four to five minutes.

lWhen the vegetables have had chance to sweat, add in enough water to cover your vegetables (with a little room to spare at the top of the pan). Then turn up the heat. Also, a little something to consider – the less water you pour in the more concentrated your stock will be and the more water you add, the weaker the stock will be.

lAdd in the parsley, black peppercorns and any additional ingredients, bring the pan up the boil and then turn down to a slow simmer for around an hour.

lWhen this time has elapsed, take the pan off the heat and pour the contents through the strainer over a large bowl. The vegetables can now be thrown away or put aside to use elsewhere.

lA handy tip - you don’t have to use all your stock at once as it can be easily frozen. Simply pour into ice-cube trays and use it as and when needed.

lGlenn Futter is the head chef at La Cachette restaurant in Elland. www.lacachette-elland.com

ONE lad in the Yorkshire team has been doing my head in this season – and his name in Tim Bresnan.

Brez keeps telling me he’s scored more runs than me, and I keep telling him he’s paid to bowl.

It’s all in good fun, of course, as he’s also my brother-in-law.

And he fully deserves to have the family bragging rights.

Bressy’s form with the bat this year has been quite incredible.

He’s really starting to fulfil his potential.

A look at the stats shows that he’s scored 512 runs in the County Championship and is averaging 64.

He’s had a couple of hundreds as well – including a career-best 169 not out the other week against Durham.

As a bat, Bressy’s always looked good in the nets.

He’s always looked like a proper player.

But he’s never really had a proper run in county cricket to tot up his scores.

He’s been away bowling for England and just not had the chance.

Now he’s starting to come to the party and, if England don’t come calling again, he can have a long and successful career at Yorkshire.

So much so, I reckon he could carry on playing for the next 10 years.

He’s 30 now, and I’ve told him that if he’s smart and looks after his body, he could play until he is 40 years old.

He could play a Mark Ealham-type role for us and be that fourth or fifth seamer who bats No.6.

He could do that job for a long time to come.

Of course, Bres’ has already had a long and successful career.

It’s easy to forget that he made his Yorkshire debut back in 2001 when he was just 16 years old.

His workload throughout his career has been a hell of a lot.

I think he’s only bowled something like 700 overs less than Ryan Sidebottom, who is seven years older.

The thing with Bres’ is, he loves playing cricket.

He loves playing for Yorkshire and still has that hunger.

Sometimes, players struggle to come down when they’ve played for England.

It’s hard for them when they’ve lost their international place.

But I don’t see Bres’ losing his appetite any time soon.

On the contrary, you can tell how much he loves it by the way he’s enjoying his batting.

The more Bres bats, the less time he has to bowl – I’m sure that’s the way he thinks about it!

As I say, his ability with the bat has never been in doubt, but when he was playing Test cricket he was in-and-out of the team and then, in one-day international cricket, you don’t get the same number of hits.

Now, I think he’s just benefiting from playing regular cricket and we’re starting to see the best of his batting.

Bres’ has also scored runs this season in T20, and there’s no getting away from the fact that we’ve been disappointing in that competition as a team.

We’ve been too inconsistent, and it just seems to have been the same as in previous years.

When we were successful in 2012, we had Mitchell Starc, Moin Ashraf and Azeem Rafiq performing well with the ball, and all their season was based around T20.

We need to find a way of doing that again, because it’s hard to manage bowlers’ workloads when they’re playing in the Championship as we want to look after them, and I can’t ask the bowlers to practice any more than they are doing.

When you’ve played a T20 game, it feels like a day in the dirt anyway because of the intensity of it, and it’s a situation we need to address.

It’s back to the Championship on Sunday when we play Worcestershire at Scarborough, and we’ve got a healthy lead at the top of the table.

But the lads certainly aren’t getting ahead of themselves and it’s just a case now of focusing on each and every game.

No-one’s talked really about winning the Championship – just what game’s coming up next and how are we going to win it.

We’re a pretty experienced bunch, and we recognise that you can’t win every day’s cricket.

They are going to be off-days throughout the course of the season, and it’s how you bounce back that’s the most important thing.

***Andrew Gale’s column is in association with Blacks Solicitors***

Cayci Pearson’s fine penalty in the closing seconds gave Elland to a 24-23 victory over Hunslet Warriors in Division One of the National Conference League yesterday.

A game of fluctuating fortunes at Greetland was marred by an injury to Elland winger Alex Milburn, who landed badly on his head and neck.

Play was held up for almost an hour in the second half whilst an ambulance was summoned and the player treated but early indications were that nothing was broken or damaged.

Elland had started in storming fashion with a try after two minutes.

Man of the match Andy Shickell broke the line and passed inside for Chris Cullimore to score under the sticks. Pearson added the simple conversion.

Hunslet were unable to cope with giant forward Pearson, who scored two tries in quick succession from short range.

Pearson added both goals and Karl Fairbank’s side had romped into an 18-0 lead after only 12 minutes.

However, Warriors showed why they were fifth in the league by coming back strongly, scoring twice in the next five minutes.

The first came on the back of an Elland penalty and the second after a great kick enabled them to regain possession.

At 18-10 it was game on and Hunslet clawed back another four points before half time after good handling out to the wing.

The visitors maintained the momentum at the start of the second half and their next try made it 18-18.

Then came the Milburn injury before a great last 30 minutes of action.

Tom Harnett made a strong run to score in the corner for Elland but Hunslet took advantage of a big hole in the home defence to level the score at 22-22.

Warriors banged over a drop goal entering the last 10 minutes but then gave away a penalty and Pearson, who had just limped back onto the field, landed a great goal.

Elland are up to ninth, ahead of next week’s hosts Milford Marlins, who had a notable 15-12 win at Kells yesterday.

Siddal under 14s became the Chevinedge club’s first team to win a national junior trophy yesterday.

The Halifax youngsters beat West Hull 16-4 in one of three finals on BARLA Xamax National Youth and Junior Cup Finals day at the John Charles Stadium, Hunslet, Leeds.

They were 12-0 up inside 15 minutes with tries from Aaron Metcalf, Amir Borough and Riley Dean.

Wests got an unconverted score just before half time but Tom Holroyd scored the only points of the second half for Siddal with 10 minutes to go.

It was a landmark success for Calderdale’s top amateur rugby league club. Siddal has a huge junior set-up of 11 teams and around 200 youngsters but up to yesterday only the first team had won a Grand Final or National Cup.

Martin Scrimshaw, who runs the under 14s with Anthony Waite and Matthew Smithies, said Siddal had been dominant for most of the game yesterday without being at their best.

They would have won more emphatically had the blustery conditions prevented kicker Dean from adding any conversions.

“We didn’t play to our potential. The occasion got to the players but we ground out a win,” said Scrimshaw.

Second rower Oliver Waite was man of the match while fullback Liam Whitton would have been Scrimshaw’s choice for the accolade.

The under 14s have already won the Yorkshire Youth League Cup, beating Castleford Lock Lane in the final, and they are favourites to make it a treble when they return to league action after a six-week summer break.

Scrimshaw expects 10 or 11 of the side to get scholarships with professional clubs at the end of the season.

Siddal’s open age side slipped from first to fourth in the Conference’s Premier Division when they lost 18-16 away to Wath Brow Hornets yesterday.

The Cumbrians were making it five wins in a row since losing 36-10 at Chevinedge in mid-May.

Siddal made a promising start when Gareth Blackburn cashed in on a Wath Brow error to touch down and convert.

The Halifax side lost Richard Merville to the sin-bin and Wath replied with an unconverted try in the corner.

The home side took the lead with a try to the right of the posts and conversion before adding a penalty for 12-6.

Wath stretched into an 18-6 advantage after the break with a converted try but Siddal would not lie down and forward Iain Davies touched down and the successful kick closed the gap to six points.

Freddie Walker made further inroads into Wath’s lead but the conversion was missed and Hornets held on.

Lightcliffe and Elland picked up key home wins to ease relegation fears yesterday.

Priestley Cup finalists Lightcliffe moved out of the bottom two in the Bradford League’s Premier Division with a Suleman Khan-inspired win over Undercliffe.

The visitors scored 187 for six, slow bowler Khan showing superb control to get through 15 overs for 20 runs, taking three wickets.

Undercliffe were 115 for six near the end of the 40th over but Usman Salim (38 no) and skipper Michael Kelsey (42 no) raised the visitors’ hopes of success.

The ultra-consistent Alex Stead (42) shook off the loss of opening partner Josh Wheatley with Lightcliffe’s score on nine but when he was third out on 70 in the 28th over, the hosts had work to do.

Pakistani Khan saw them home with 58 not out, timing things to perfection as the Wakefield Road men won by three wickets with just two balls to spare.

Lightcliffe are now fourth from bottom and Elland occupy the same place in the Huddersfield’s Premiership after an 84-run win over bottom side Slaithwaite.

The Hullen Edge men batted first and posted an impressive 302 for six with Robin Broom’s 115 the top contribution.

Rising star Siraj Sajid hit 64 and he followed up with five for 45 off 15 overs as the visitors were limited to 216 for nine after a bright start.

Elland’s Calderdale rivals Barkisland lost by 23 runs away to third-placed Honley with spinner Chris Williams (three for 40), Kiwi Tim Seifert (52) and all-rounder Alex Scholefield (34) their top performers.

Brighouse suffered a crushing 223-run home defeat at the hands of title-gunning Morley in Division Two of the Bradford League.

The home bowlers were put to the sword in an unbroken stand of 178 between Matthew Baxter (108 no) and Kashif Naveed (100 no) as Morley rattled up 329 for three.

Brighouse mustered only 106 in reply with pace bowler Matthew Dowse (five for 35) doing plenty of damage.

Another good knock from Kiwi Danny Gibbs was to no avail for Illingworth, who lost by 32 runs at home to Ben Rhydding in the middle section of the Aire/Wharfe League.

Gibbs made 114 not out at the top of the order but the damage had been done earlier with the visitors from Ilkley having posted 281.

BRADFORD LEAGUE

Division One

Lightcliffe v Undercliffe

Lightcliffe won by 2 wkts

UNDERCLIFFE 187 for six

F Hussain b J Wheatley 36

H Khan c J Whiteoak b S Khan 18

G Ahmed lbw b S Khan 5

A Raja c J Wheatley b S Khan 14

F Ashraf lbw b J Wheatley 17

U Salim not out 38

L Brearley b C Greenwood 9

M Kelsey not out 42

Extras 8

Bowling: J Whiteoak 6.0 0 36 0, R Burton 5.0 1 14 0, S Khan 15.0 5 20 3, C Greenwood 8.0 1 33 1, J Wheatley 14.0 1 60 2, D Ahmed 2.0 0 16 0

LIGHTCLIFFE 189 for eight

A Stead c U Salim b Z Qasim 42

J Wheatley b F Ashraf 0

S Jowett b A Hussain 19

S Khan not out 58

R Powe lbw b M Kelsey 38

R Burton b M Kelsey 7

M Horne b Z Qasim 11

J Whiteoak b Z Qasim 1

R Thompson b F Ashraf 0

D Ahmed not out 1

Extras 12

Bowling: F Ashraf 15.0 2 47 2, Z Qasim 14.4 2 47 3, A Hussain 9.0 2 37 1, A Ahmed 6.0 0 27 0, M Kelsey 4.0 0 17 2, G Ahmed 1.0 0 5 0.

Division Two

Brighouse v Morley

Morley won by 223 runs. Brighouse 1 pt, Morley 20 pts.

MORLEY 329 for three

J McNichol c M Khurshid b N Hussain 51

R Jubb b N Hussain 26

K Watts lbw b S Hussain 34

M Baxter not out 108

K Naveed not out 100

Extras 10

Bowling: N Hussain 15.0 1 71 2, A Ladak 7.0 1 35 0, M Zahid 8.0 0 47 0, S Hussain 9.0 0 56 1, S Matharu 2.0 0 14 0, G Makwana 3.0 0 27 0, W Hussain 3.0 0 35 0, C Lee 3.0 0 39 0.

BRIGHOUSE 106

W Hussain c K Watts b M Dowse 5

A Hussain c K Naveed b N Bromby 9

M Khurshid+ c J McNichol b M Dowse 9

S Hussain c K Watts b N Bromby 10

N Goldsborough c L Heinemann b N Bromby 0

M Zahid c C Nuthall b M Dowse 19

N Hussain c L Heinemann b M Dowse 10

G Makwana b M Dowse 0

S Matharu c R Jubb b D Nebard 16

C Lee b B Jenkinson 16

A Ladak not out 1

Extras 11

Bowling: N Bromby 12.0 3 35 3, M Dowse 14.0 4 37 5, K Naveed 1.0 0 1 0, B Jenkinson 6.1 1 22 1, D Nebard 3.0 0 6 1.

HUDDERSFIELD LEAGUE

Premier

Elland v Slaithwaite

Elland won by 84 runs

ELLAND 302 for six

N Lockley c Hill b Kilner 41

P Winrow c Holt b Berry 32

R Broom c Bremner b Quarmby 115

A Blakey b Bremner 30

S Sajid lbw b Walker 64

B Speak b Quarmby 3

N Desai not out 9

M Hinchliffe not out 1

Extras 7

Bowling: C Kilner 7 1 39 1, I Hales 4 0 28 0, A Walker 7 1 43 1, D Berry 15 0 77 1, D Hill 3 0 16 0, M Bremner 8 0 56 1, H Quarmby 6 0 39 2.

SLAITHWAITE 216 for nine

M Bremner b Broom 62

I Holt b Sajid 31

S Rashid c Blakey b Sajid 27

D Berry c Hinchliffe b Gardner 45

D Hill c Desai b Sajid 5

C Kilner b Broom 1

A Walker c Blakey b Sajid 5

M Berry st Speak b Sajid 2

H Quarmby b Broom 0

T Healey not out 18

I Hales not out 0

Extras 20

Bowling: N Desai 5 0 27 0, A Finn 7 0 39 0, M Hinchliffe 5 0 21 0, S Sajid 15 1 45 5, R Broom 15 0 62 3, W Gardner 3 0 18 1.

Honley 233-6 (T Sykes 51, A Crispe 49, T Taylor 49, S Kelly 46; C Williams 3-40), Barkisland 210 (T Seifert 52, A Scholefield 34; S Denton 4-64)

AIRE/WHARFE LEAGUE

Division Two

Illingworth v Ben Rhydding

Ben Rhydding won by 32 runs.

BEN RHYDDING 281

F Hamilton c V Brooksby b A Dixon 18

M Proudman c M Sewell b S Cook 0

C Swallow c D Brooksby b A Dixon 57

R Miller b B Robertshaw 33

L Bolton c L Brooksby b B Robertshaw 5

K Christmas c D Brooksby b S Cook 5

R Bolton c and b B Robertshaw 77

R Oldham c B Robertshaw b A Dixon 22

A Miller c L Brooksby b B Robertshaw 31

T Pratt c J Moorhouse b S Cook 2

T Wood not out 5

Extras 26

Bowling: S Cook 15.0 1 60 3, L Brooksby 8.0 2 39 0, A Dixon 10.0 0 76 3, J Lewis 5.0 0 28 0, B Robertshaw 11.3 1 57 4.

ILLINGWORTH 249 for five

Danny Gibbs not out 114

M Sewell lbw b Miller 7

A Dixon b Miller 21

B Robertshaw b Miller 0

L Brooksby b Christmas 37

V Brooksby b Christmas 23

Joe Lewis not out 34

Extras 13

Bowling: C Swallow 14.0 3 54 0, Tom Pratt 5.0 2 22 0, A Miller 15.0 0 78 3, K Christmas 15.0 0 77 2, T Wood 1.0 0 8 0.

Dear England

I note from dispatches that your top-order batsmen seem to be struggling.

Indeed, it appears that you are three-down for not very many on a regular basis.

But I have some good news for you.

There is a chap at Yorkshire called Jonny Bairstow who can bat a bit.

In fact, he has scored 906 runs in the County Championship this summer at an average of 100.66.

His sequence of scores in the competition reads: 102, 59, 50, 66, 125*, 0, 15, 219*, 108, 23 and 139.

I would therefore be most grateful if you could get him into your team for the third Ashes Test starting at Edgbaston on Wednesday week.

His record would demand nothing less.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Waters

AT the risk of being accused of bias, the case for Jonny Bairstow is incontrovertible.

His outstanding record speaks for itself.

As Yorkshire scored 357-5 on the opening day, Bairstow furthered already compelling claims with an innings of 139, his fifth century in 11 Championship innings to go with three fifties.

It is a record that cannot be ignored by any fair-minded hierarchy.

Not that Bairstow would bang his own drum.

After recording his 16th first-class hundred, he played down talk concerning an England recall as skilfully as he played with a bat in his hand.

“I think it’s time for us to get behind the (England) lads,” said Bairstow, who received staunch support from captain Andrew Gale, who scored an unbeaten 127, the pair adding 254 for the fourth-wicket.

“It was only a week ago that people were right behind them after the win in Cardiff, and it’s very fickle of people to be saying there needs to be this and that.

“We need to get behind the boys and back them to the hilt.

“It’s going to be an important time over the next few days leading into the Edgbaston Test, and if we don’t get behind them I think it would be wrong of us as a nation.”

Bairstow, who said he could not attribute his form to anything specific, came to the crease with Yorkshire 57-3.

In fresh conditions, with rain preventing a start until 12pm, Yorkshire had run into early problems against Joe Leach, the former Leeds-Bradford pace bowler.

Leach, 24, who looks older and is refreshingly well-stocked around the midriff, removed both opening batsmen inside the first eight overs.

Will Rhodes was lured into a loose drive outside off stump and caught at first slip, and Alex Lees dismissed in similar style – albeit Ross Whiteley juggled the chance before eventually clinging on for the catch.

Leach, who had done his damage from the Peasholm Park end, returned for a second spell from the Trafalgar Square end and pinned Jack Leaning lbw.

Having lost the toss on a flat pitch, the early honours belonged to the visitors.

It was the sort of situation, however, that invariably brings the best out of Yorkshire and, in particular, the best out of Bairstow.

He did not disappoint.

Jack Shantry, the left-arm pace bowler with a windmill action, was driven firmly to the mid-off boundary in an early warning sign.

Brett D’Oliveira, the 23-year-old leg-spinner, was swatted for four through the offside too.

By now, Bairstow had his eye in and the alarm bells for the visitors were ringing.

How, they must have wondered, were they going to get him out?

As the 2,450 crowd looked on, Bairstow, however, was no one-man band.

Gale played wonderfully well too and seems to love Scarborough every bit as much as the Yorkshire supporters who annually make the pilgrimage here.

He also relishes a scrap, and after he and Bairstow had lifted the score to 85-3 at lunch, they rattled along during the chanceless afternoon.

Bairstow went to his half-century from 48 balls with 10 boundaries, and Gale followed him to the mark from 103 deliveries with six fours as he played the perfect foil.

Then, just before tea, and coincidentally just as Jos Buttler was being dismissed during the Lord’s Test, Bairstow reached his hundred from 112 balls with 16 fours (if England do not pick Bairstow purely as a batsman, he could certainly replace Buttler as the batsman/wicketkeeper).

After tea, Bairstow and Gale continued along.

Bairstow offered a tough chance on 126 to D’Oliveira at cover off Shantry, the ball running away for two runs that took the stand to 212 and past Yorkshire’s previous best for the fourth-wicket against Worcestershire of 210 by Arthur Mitchell and Maurice Leyland, scored at Worcester in 1933.

Gale, who played some meaty cuts and drives, went to his fifth hundred in first-class cricket at this ground from 183 balls with 11 fours before Bairstow finally fell with the total on 311, cutting D’Oliveira to backward point.

Adil Rashid pushed Saeed Ajmal to slip, but Yorkshire already have the foundation for a fifth successive victory.

Yorkshire: Lees, Rhodes, Leaning, Gale (capt), Bairstow, Rashid, Bresnan, Plunkett, Patterson, Brooks, Sidebottom.

Worcestershire: Oliver, Mitchell (captain), Fell, Clarke, D’Oliveira, Whiteley, Barnard, Cox, Leach, Shantry, Ajmal.

Premier Division

Blackley v Triangle

Blackley won by 100 runs. Blackley 12 pts, Triangle 5 pts.

BLACKLEY 315 for seven

F Fox c N Uttley b Whippey 6

J Stenson b Fryer 0

T Baxter c N Uttley b Fryer 1

D Walsh lbw b Turner 66

R Jennison c O’Neill b Madden 100

D Houldin not out 76

M Shiel c N Uttley b Whippey 21

J Watson c Madden b Whippey 7

C White not out 0

Extras 38

Bowling: K Whippey 11 2 82 3, T Fryer 9 0 37 2, N Uttley 6 0 39 0, D Turner 8 0 60 1, R O’Neill 3 0 36 0, N Madden 4 0 14 1, C Silkstone 4 0 19 0

TRIANGLE 215 for nine

N Madden c Shiel b White 9

N Uttley c Walsh b Peel 45

T Fryer b Walsh 40

C Silkstone lbw b Walsh 41

D Crosland c Baxter b O’Connell 30

K Whippey c Baxter b O’Connell 12

S Wood lbw b Walsh 1

D Turner run out 5

R O’Neill not out 3

M Uttley b Walsh 0

J Dean did not bat

Extras 29

Bowling: J Watson 10 0 37 0, C White 10 0 49 1, D Peel 3 0 33 1, J O’Connell 8 0 37 2, D Walsh 6 1 37.

Thornton v Queensbury

Thornton won by 76 runs. Thornton 10 pts, Queensbury 3 pts.

THORNTON 315 for two

QUEENSBURY 239 for four

Sowerby Bridge v Copley

Copley won by 5 wkts. Sowerby Bridge 4pts, Copley 11 pts.

SOWERBY BRIDGE 221 for eight

COPLEY 222 for five

Booth v SBCI

SBCI won by 159 runs. Booth 3 pts, SBCI 12 pts.

SBCI 203

G Hampshire c Sutcliffe b Collinge 4

L Firth c Ambrose b Collinge 4

S Wood c Cockroft b Collinge 22

C Dalby c Cockroft b Collinge 0

T Wood c Cockroft b Saghir 5

M Scholefield st Cockroft b Collinge 93

D Sykes b Horsfall 12

D Keighley c Saghir b Horsfall 10

J Sykes not out 30

W Thickett c & b Collinge 4

R Hanson c Ambrose b Collinge 4

Extras 15

Bowling: U Saghir 11 4 57 1, O Collinge 16 2 52 7, Rich Laycock 7 1 38 0, I Sharkey 3 0 21 0, N Horsfall 4 0 24 2.

BOOTH 44

Rob Laycock c S Wood b J Sykes 11

F Ambrose c D Sykes b J Sykes 4

J Heptinstall lbw b J Sykes 0

Rich Laycock c S Wood b J Sykes 1

H Wajid b Hanson 9

I Sharkey lbw b Hanson 5

N Horsfall lbw b Sykes 2

A Sutcliffe c D Sykes b J Sykes 2

U Saghir b Hanson 4

R Cockroft b Hanson 0

O Collinge not out 2

Extras 4

Bowling: J Sykes 8 2 18 6, R Hanson 8 3 22 4.

Jer Lane v Southowram

Jer Lane won by 141 runs. Jer Lane 12 pts, Southowram 3 pts.

JER LANE 281 for five

A Pinfield c Crossley b Wells 130

W Cotton c Veal b Crossley 65

M Hustler b Eastwood 1

R Younas c Hawksworth b Gledhill 43

A Winnard b Wells 0

S Collins not out 12

J Lister not out 1

Extras 30

Bowling: I Gledhill 14 4 71 1, B Wells 11 2 59 2, N Eastwood 11 0 60 1, D Crossley 9 0 63 1.

SOUTHOWRAM 140

I Hall c Sivyer b Chowdrey 26

D Townsend b Winnard 0

D Crossley b Collins 29

B Wells c Hustler b Chowdrey 15

I Gledhill b Chowdrey 10

T Belfield b Collins 5

R Veal st Sivyer b Collins 8

D Pummell not out 33

S Hawksworth c Lister b Collins 2

J Eastwood c Sivyer b Lister 0

N Eastwood b Lister 6

Extras 6

Bowling: A Winnard 6 2 27 1, N Chowdrey 13 0 53 3, S Collins 14 3 28 4, R Younas 3 0 19 0, J Lister 3 0 6 2.

Mytholmroyd v Warley

Mytholmroyd won by 10 wkts. Mytholmroyd 12 pts, Warley 2 pts.

WARLEY 170

N Bottomley c Sutcliffe b Harris 1

C Marsh run out 27

S Hassan c Senior b Harris 11

F Khatana c Cowens b Murgatroyd 37

G Keywood b Earle 0

B Schofield c & b Murgatroyd 10

G Kinsey c Cowens b Murgatroyd 11

D Syme not out 53

M Whitworth b Earle 2

J Whitworth c & b Earle 1

R Keywood b Earle 0

Extras 17

Bowling: J Earle 11 3 49 4, N Harris 10 1 29 2, D Murgatroyd 9 1 38 3, W Ali 4 0 20 0, J Cowens 6 0 26 0.

MYTHOLMROYD 173 for none

T Earle not out 78

S Senior not out 79

Extras 16

Bowling: G Keywood 7 1 39 0, G Kinsey 3 0 35 0, R Keywood 4 0 24 0, D Syme 2 0 19 0, J Whitworth 2 0 25 0, F Khatana 1 0 16 0.

Division One

Sowerby SP v Northowram Hedge Top

Sowerby won by 177 runs. Sowerby 12 pts, Northowram 3 pts.

SOWERBY SP 315 for seven

R Brook run out 57

B Watkins lbw b Talbot 11

H Bruce c M Gardner b Saghir 56

M Schofield c Saghir b Kaushik 43

G Hayes b Saghir 60

A Green run out 60

L Barber b Saghir 0

L Baxter (Jnr) not out 19

C Patrick not out 5

Extras 4

Bowling: S Gardner 12 1 87 0, M Gardner 4 0 23 0, H Talbot 4 0 31 1 1, A Kaushik 14 0 99 0, R Saghir 11 2 72 3.

NORTHOWRAM HT 138

C Conroy b Schofield 24

A Stocks c Bruce b Punda 23

R Saghir c Patrick b Schofield 14

S Gardner b Punda 14

T Cullen c Punda b Hayes 16

K Litjens c Punda b Hayes 22

H Talbot c Schofield b Hayes 1

D Phipps lbw b Hayes 0

A Kaushik b Graham 15

N Charlton c Brook b Graham 1

M Gardner not out 7

Extras 1

Bowling: M Schofield 10 0 57 2, C Punda 12 1 47 2, G Hayes 5 2 21 4, J Graham 3 0 12 2.

Bradshaw v Bridgeholme

Bradshaw won by 5 wkts. Bradshaw 4 pts, Bridgeholme 12 pts.

BRIDGEHOLME 258

C Kibble lbw b Moody 65

T Stansfield b Moody 58

Z Harris lbw b Broadbent 32

J Hudson st Spendelow b Moody 27

Y Mahmood c & b Broadbent 11

O Challis run out 16

M Basharat b Broadbent 1

N Ali c Ryan b Moody 20

S Mahmood c Firth b Moody 6

O Davy-Day b Buckley 2

B Mahmood not out 0

Extras 20

Bowling: A Buckley 7 0 46 1, R Beaumont 6 1 43 0, J Firth 4 0 31 0, S Moody 15 3 50 5, P Fisher 5 0 42 0, L Broadbent 5 0 31 3.

BRADSHAW 263 for five

S Moody run out 49

P Eckersley c Y Mahmood b S Mahmood 2

S Beck b Y Mahmood 73

C Ryan c Kibble b Challis 14

A Spendelow c & b Davy-Day 52

L Broadbent not out 41

D Cotton not out 14

Extras 18

Bowling: S Mahmood 10 4 34 1, O Davy-Day 8 4 38 1, B Mahmood 5 2 25 0, N Ali 10 2 55 0, O Challis 8 0 62 1, Y Mahmood 4 0 35 1.

Oxenhope v Low Moor

Oxenhope won by 64 runs. Oxenhope 12 pts, Low Moor 4 pts.

OXENHOPE 190

LOW MOOR 126

Stones v Luddenden Foot

Stones won by seven runs. Stones 11 pts, Ludd Foot 5 pts.

STONES 233 for five

K O’Rourke b Stott 0

S Heptinstall b Hosker 60

D Budd lbw b Barron 39

T Rogers c Jones b Hemingway 10

J Bower c & b Hemingway 18

S Sutcliffe not out 26

J Ackroyd not out 59

Extras 21

Bowling: J Stott 9 2 44 1, O Hosker 3 1 24 0, M Barron 9 2 37 1, O Hemingway 14 3 56 2, T Hosker 8 1 41 1, O Bairstow 2 0 17 0.

LUDDENDEN FOOT 226 for nine

J Cleary b Benson 8

R Pinder c Halliwell b Bower 28

O Hemingway c Ackroyd b Bower 61

M Wade lbw b Halliwell 14

O Bairstow c Bower b Pollard 51

T Hosker lbw b Halliwell 1

O Hosker not out 46

J Stott b Pollard 0

D Jones c Bower b Benson 0

M Barron b Benson 0

J Hothersall not out 0

Extras 17

Bowling: M Benson 13 0 65 3, E Pollard 9 2 39 2, J Bower 7 1 38 2, J Ackroyd 10 0 43 0, T Halliwell 6 0 31 2.

Division Two

Shelf v Clayton

Shelf won by 4 wkts. Shelf 12 pts, Clayton 3 pts.

M Kershaw c Dimbleby b Roberts 45

M Hodgson b Ramsden 10

T Evans c Armitage b Ramsden 16

A Sutcliffe c Butterfield b Ramsden 8

J Brown c Wolfenden b Ramsden 2

C Ambler b Ramsden 16

A Windle c Wolfenden b Ramsden 11

J Craig c & b Ramsden 12

J Selby b Lamb 4

M Mistry b Ramsden 0

P Gelder not out 0

Extras 18

Bowling: R Ramsden 21 5 50 8, N Armitage 13 1 55 0, C Roberts 4 1 13 1, T Lamb 3 1 16 1

SHELF 144 for six

C Roberts c Craig b Mistry 0

B Sugden lbw b Mistry 16

A Dimbleby b Mistry 0

C Green c Craig b Mistry 62

T Lamb b Gelder 5

L Butterfield not out 35

C Wolfenden b Mistry 8

M Atkins not out 1

Extras 19

Bowling: M Mistry 15 5 53 5, P Gelder 10 1 54 1, J Selby 5 1 22 0.

Old Town v Denholme Clough

Denholme Clough won by 140 runs. Old Town 4 pts, Denholme Clough 12 pts.

DENHOLME CLOUGH 277 for nine

I Aslam b Khan 1

M Khan lbw b Khan 8

S Hussain c Clark b Khan 71

T Aslam c & b Shah 105

M Yousaf c Rigby b Khan 41

G Farid c Yates b Khan 2

M Asif b Khan 5

A Hanif c Yates b Shah 12

S Khan not out 2

M Ali b Shah 6

Z Arif not out 4

Extras 20

Bowling: J Khan 17 4 90 6, A Shah 16 1 77 3, A Hussain 6 0 45 0, S Mahmood 6 0 49 0.

OLD TOWN 137

A Hussain c S Khan b Aslam 0

A Shah b Arif 14

J Yates b Aslam 4

M Jamil b Arif 1

S Mahmood not out 78

S Hill c Yousaf b Arif 0

M Rigby b Aslam 2

J Khan lbw b Aslam 7

G Watson b Arif 0

M Clark c Hanif b Aslam 12

A Matthews run out 2

Extras 17

Bowling: T Aslam 15 4 61 5, Z Arif 10 1 42 4, M Asif 2 0 11 0, A Hanif 3 0 12 0.

Old Crossleyans v Cullingworth

Cullingworth won by 2 wkts. Crocs 5 pts, Cullingworth 11 pts.

OLD CROSSLEYANS 261 for seven

R Manir st Powis b Rankin 2

S Mahmood c Powis b Burkill 98

S Browes c Bland b Burkill 22

M Jowett lbw b Burkill 5

Q Ayub c Burkill b Welch 7

A Mukhtar lbw b Welch 11

H Reynolds not out 69

R Dixon c S Welch b Poole 30

Extras 15

Bowling: P Poole 13 2 69 0, G Rankin 12 2 47 1, C Welch 10 0 56 2, B Burkill 8 1 59 3, S Welch 2 0 17 0.

CULLINGWORTH 264 for eight

S Welch c Manir b Reynolds 13

A Powis c Linsel b Dixon 11

B Burkill c Mahmood b Reynolds 37

W Rankin c Mahmood b Linsel 29

G Rankin c & b Reynolds 83

C Welch c Hemblys b Reynolds 56

J Terry not out 12

J Bland b Dixon 1

G Fletcher b Dixon 0

P Poole not out 7

Extras 15

Bowling: H Reynolds 17 1 105 4, R Dixon 15 4 63 3, J Hemblys 5 0 39 0, J Linsel 6 0 45 1.

Outlane v Greetland

Outlane won by 218 runs. Outlane 12 pts, Greetland 3 pts.

OUTLANE 385 for five

L Mellor b Betts 22

A Blagborough b Betts 25

C Brook c Malik b Smith 56

J Mitton not out 158

C Westwood lbw b Hutchinson 48

A Davies not out 63

Extras 13

Bowling: C Soulsby 8 1 20 0, M Smith 7 0 79 1, C Betts 10 0 68 2, C Smith 2 0 11 0, U Malik 6 0 81 0, K Hutchinson 10 0 93 1, I Hopkinson 2 0 20 0.

GREETLAND 167

S Whelan c Roberts b Blagborough 23

D Reynolds c & b Blagborough 38

I Hopkinson c Brook b Ainley 0

U Malik b Ainley 8

C Betts b Krishnapillai 8

C Smith c Mellor b Ainley 8

S Graham c Thornton b Mellor 27

C Soulsby c Thornton b Mellor 22

K Hutchinson c Blagborough b Mellor 0

M Smith c Roberts b Mellor 6

A Oxley not out 2

Extras 25

Bowling: A Blagborough 7 1 47 2, S Ainley 10 1 50 3, J Krishnapillai 6 1 24 1, J Wrigley 5 1 18 0, L Mellor 4 2 9 4, J Thornton 1 0 8 0.

Upper Hopton v Great Horton Park Chapel

Great Horton won by 3 wkts. Uppoer Hopton 4 pts, Great Horton PC 12 pts.

UPPER HOPTON 174

I Wightman st Gill b Hassall 59

R Wild c Gill b Syed 2

K Andrews c Beesley b Fenton 8

J Stephenson c Jordan b Hassall 7

L Harrington c Patel b Syed 10

W Smeaton handled ball b Hassall 19

A Stokes c Jordan b Syed 1

R Wood c Syed b Fenton 48

A Gallagher c Beesley b Syed 6

M Broadbent c Gill b Fenton 4

J Stanger not out 0

Extras 10

Bowling: M Jordan 8 3 23 0, H Syed 7 4 6 1, S Fenton 8 2 25 3, A Beesley 6 2 16 0, R Hassall 6 2 17 3, A Syed 6 0 40 3, W Chaudhry 2 0 15 0, Z Patel 1 0 22 0.

GREAT HORTON 175 for seven

No details available

Ollie Collinge may have had a few choice words to say to his Booth teammates after Saturday’s home game with SBCI in the Foster’s Halifax League’s top flight.

Collinge took seven for 52 to help dismiss visitors SBCI for 203, leaving him to contemplate putting his feet up for the second half and watching Booth’s batsmen knock off a fairly modest target for the ground.

However, just 16 overs later number 11 batsman Collinge was walking away from the middle in dismay, his 10 Booth colleagues having lost their wickets to Jamie Sykes (six for 16) and Robin Hanson (four for 22) as the hosts were skittled for 44.

SBCI, who went above Booth into third place, were completing an excellent recovery. They had been 13 for four inside the game’s opening half hour, Matthew Scholefield leading the fightback with an excellent 93, which included 11 fours and three sixes.

Top two Jer Lane and Mytholmroyd collected maximum points form home wins.

Jer Lane hammered another nail in Southowram’s coffin with a 141-run win.

Lane were on top from the start, opener Andrew Pinfield (130) and Wayne Cotton (65) paving the way for a total of 281 for five against a below-strength attack.

Dan Pummell’s unbeaten 33 was best for the visitors as slow bowler Simon Collins (four for 28 off 14) limited the Rams to 140.

Dan Syme’s unbeaten 53 helped Warley to reach 170 at Mytholmroyd, for whom Jack Earle took four wickets and spinner Dan Murgratroyd three.

However, Royd’s league side openers Steve Senior (79 no) and Tom Earle (78 no) made mincemeat of the target, matching each other shot for shot to knock off the runs in 19 overs.

Blackley climbed out of the bottom two at Queensbury’s expense after a 100-run home win over Triangle.

Reece Jennison made 100 and shared century stands with Dom Walsh (66) and Dan Houldin (76 no) after Blackley had been 13 for two.

Walsh followed up with four for 37 as Triangle were limited to 215 for nine in pursuit of the hosts’ 315 for seven.

Queensbury lost at Thornton in a game which only had six wickets. Thornton amassed 315 for two and Queensbury settled for maximum batting points in reply at 239 for four.

Sowerby Bridge have slumped to fourth-from-bottom. They lost by five wickets at Walton street to Copley, who overhauled their 221 for eight.

Points (after 14 games): Jer Lane 130, Mytholmroyd 119, SBCI 115, Booth 115, Thornton 111, Copley 107, Triangle 100, Warley 97, Sowerby Bridge 93, Blackley 90, Queensbury 84, Southowram 65.

Sowerby St Peters crushed Northowram Hedge Top by 177 runs in the battle of Division One’s top two - in spite of the efforts of one of their players for the opposition.

Ryan Brook, Hayden Bruce, Gavin Hayes and Aiden Green are scored half-centuries as Sowerby piled up 315 for seven.

Hayes and Lee Barber both fell to catches by Bruce, who was acting as a substitute fielder!

If Hayes was miffed at his dismissal it didn’t show as he took four for 21 to dismiss the visitors for 138, Sowerby repeating their win over the Rams from the same venue four weeks earlier.

While Sowerby are 20 points clear at the top, Northowram are now only seven in front of Oxenhope, who host Chris Conroy’s side twice in August.

A Stuart Jackson hat-trick helped Oxenhope to a 64 run win at home to Low Moor.

Luddenden Foot faltered late on in a close game against Stones at Swift Cross and slipped to the bottom of the table.

Half-centuries by Steve Heptinstall and Joe Ackroyd for the Ripponden side were matched by Ollie Hemingway and Owen Bairstow for Foot, who fell eight runs short of their 234 target when their number eight, nine and 10 batsmen got ducks.

Bradshaw registered a welcome five-wicket win at home to Bridgeholme.

Chris Kibble (65) and Tom Stansfield (58) got the Eastwood side away to a flyer with a 109-run opening stand.

Recent capture Scott Moody (five for 50) hit back for the hosts but Bridgeholme must have been confident of defending a score of 258.

However, the visitors handed over three overs and that made the chase easier for Bradshaw, who got there thanks to Steve Beck (73), wicketkeeper Adam Spendelow (52) and Moody (49).

Points: Sowerby SP 141, Northowram HT 121, Oxenhope 114, Bridgeholme 103, Bradshaw 85, Stones 83, Low Moor 81, Luddenden Foot 80.

Shelf’s Robert Ramsden produced another eight-wicket return as his sided beat visitors Clayton in Division Two.

Ramsden (eight for 50) dismissed the visitors for 143 and Shelf were grateful for Craig Green’s 62 and Leigh Butterfield’s 35 not out as they wobbled on the way to a three-wicket win.

Tanweer Aslam was the star of the show at Boston Hill as he hit 105 runs and took five for 61 for visitors Denholme Clough, who leapfrogged Old Town out of the bottom two.

Cullingworth took a much-strengthened side to Old Crossleyans and produced a superb run chase to upset their second-placed hosts.

Graham Rankin (83) and Chris Welch (56) combined to form the partnership that eventually won the match by a two-wicket margin.

Opener Sehf Mahmood had earlier fallen two short of a century for Crocs while Harry Reynolds sent the score climbing to 261 for seven with 69 not out.

Outlane hit the biggest score of the day, scoring 385 for five against suffering Greetland at Old Lindley Road. The home side eventually won by 215 runs.

The main scourge of the Greetland bowlers was James Mitton, who hit 158 not out including five maximums.

Lee Mellor took four for nine as the visitors crumbled to 167 all out after being 64 without loss.

Crocs’ defeat was good news for Great Horton Park Chapel, who are 10 points clear after a three wicket win at Upper Hopton.

Points: Great Horton PC 132, Old Crossleyans 122, Outlane 114, Cullingworth 114, Clayton 110, Shelf 97, Upper Hopton 85, Denholme Clough 80, Old Town 79, Greetland 57.

A shocking drop in organ donation has prompted a renewed call for people in Leeds to discuss the taboo.

Figures released today by NHS Blood and Transplant have revealed a five per cent drop in UK organ donation in the last year compared to 2013/14, as Yorkshire lags behind the national average.

It is thought the fact that 224 fewer people received transplants last year is linked to fewer people dying in circumstances where they could donate.

The YEP has been calling for people in Leeds to sign the NHS Organ Donor Register by backing the Be A Hero campaign after it emerged just 29 people in the city donated organs last year as around 800 people in Yorkshire await lifesaving transplants.

Three people die every day in the UK waiting for an organ transplant.

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Injured professional Bilawal Bhatti was unable to see Todmorden through to victory in a dramatic Lancashire League match yesterday.

The Pakistani, who had split the webbing on a hand in the field, came in at number 11 with six needed to overhaul Haslingden’s 205 for seven total.

However, he was trapped leg before by Jo Sipocz to give the visitors a five-run win, which took them above Andrew Sutcliffe’s side and into eighth place.

Bhatti had earlier taken four for 81, his victims including visiting pro Burton de Wett for 52 from 56 balls.

Tod lost Ben Sutcliffe without a run on the board and Ben Pearson soon followed but Simon Newbitt and Elliott Gilford added 86 to put Todmorden back in the match.

De Wett eventually dismissed both, left-hander Newbitt for 77 from 97 balls and Gilford for 24.

Martin Harlow took Tod to the brink of victory with 28 not out but the opening bowler ran out of partners with 10 balls left.

Lancashire League

Todmorden v Haslingden

Haslingden won by 5 runs. Todmorden 5 pts, Haslingden 12 pts.

HASLINGDEN 205 for seven

J Sipocz c Newbitt b Gilford 13

GA Knowles b Bhatti 38

BC de Wett c Priestley b Bhatti 52

M Griffin b Bhatti 26

AJ Coleman b Bhatti 2

J Taylor run out 11

A Jeffrey c Bhatti b Harlow 36

JM Shannon not out 11

JE Neary not out 1

Bowling: Bhatti 17 1 81 4, Harlow 14 2 34 1, Gilford 8 0 28 1, A Sutcliffe 7 0 36 0, Priestley 4 0 23 0.

TODMORDEN 200

SD Newbitt lbw b de Wett 77

BD Sutcliffe lbw b Sipocz 0

BA Pearson b Neary 5

EC Gilford st English b de Wett 24

KM Garland c English b Griffin 10

A Sutcliffe c Shannon b de Wett 6

O Whitehead b Griffin 0

M Harlow not out 28

SA Priestley b Griffin 5

H Ali b Neary 9

B Bhatti lbw b Sipocz 0

Extras 36

Bowling: Sipocz 7.2 0 34 2, Neary 9 2 31 2, Griffin 17 2 59 3, Knowles 3 0 21 0, de Wett 12 0 51 3.

Yorkshire saw the second highest fall in council spending in England as a result of government cuts since David Cameron became Prime Minister, according to new figures.

Expenditure per head fell by 17.2 per cent between 2009/10 and 2015/16 in cash terms - from £1,969 to £1,630 - but when inflation is taken into account this represents a drop of 32%, analysis by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) found.

The figures include new data for the current financial year, which show local authority budgets falling in every part of the country except the South East, with the largest declines compared with 2014/15 seen in the North East (down 4.9%), Yorkshire and the Humber (down 4.7 per cent) and the West Midlands (down 3.8 per cent)

The biggest cuts to council departments are in housing - which is losing 9.9% of its budget this year - followed by planning and development (down 9.8%). Other services to see annual falls this year include adult social care (down 2%), education (down 2.4%), culture (down 4.5%) and children’s social care (down 0.4%), said Cipfa.

However, funding for highways and transport is increasing by 2.2%, with much of the extra cash concentrated in Greater London and the South East.

Cipfa chief executive Rob Whiteman said: “These figures will paint a worrying picture for many councils across England and hammer home how, despite rising demand for frontline services, there has been little or no respite in funding reductions to local authority budgets.

“To survive in this tough economic climate it’s absolutely right for councils to have a rigorous focus on value for money and work more effectively with the wider public sector to deliver savings for taxpayers and better outcomes for local communities.

“That’s why we believe there needs to be substantial reforms to our systems of public financial management with greater alignment of local public services and for the Government to budget for the medium to long term if public services are to be sustainable over the next decade.”

According to the annual data collected by Cipfa and the Department for Communities and Local Government, 2015/16 spending reductions in cash terms compared with last year amount to 3.3% in the South West , 3.2% in the North West, 2.7% in the East of England, 1.1% in the East Midlands and 1% in Greater London, with only the South East outside the capital holding its spending level with a 0% decrease.

Total service expenditure for 2015/16 by local authorities in England - excluding new responsibilities for public health - will be £88.5 billion, down 2.4% from the £90.7 billion recorded in 2014/15 and 17.2% from the £100.6 billion in 2009/10, according to Cipfa’s figures.

This equates to a fall in spending per head - before inflation is taken into account - from £1,969 in 2009/10 to £1,767 in 2013/14 and £1,695 in 2014/15 to £1,630 this year.

Dear England,

I note from dispatches that your top-order batsmen seem to be struggling.

Indeed, it appears that you are three-down for not very many on a regular basis.

But I have some good news for you.

There is a chap at Yorkshire called Jonny Bairstow who can bat a bit.

In fact, he has scored 906 runs in the County Championship this summer at an average of 100.66.

His sequence of scores in the competition reads: 102, 59, 50, 66, 125*, 0, 15, 219*, 108, 23 and 139.

I would therefore be most grateful if you could get him into your team for the third Ashes Test starting at Edgbaston on Wednesday week.

His record would demand nothing less.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Waters

AT the risk of being accused of bias, the case for Jonny Bairstow is incontrovertible.

His outstanding record speaks for itself.

As Yorkshire scored 357-5 on the opening day, Bairstow furthered already compelling claims with an innings of 139, his fifth century in 11 Championship innings to go with three fifties.

It is a record that cannot be ignored by any fair-minded hierarchy.

Not that Bairstow would bang his own drum.

After recording his 16th first-class hundred, he played down talk concerning an England recall as skilfully as he played with a bat in his hand.

“I think it’s time for us to get behind the (England) lads,” said Bairstow, who received staunch support from captain Andrew Gale, who scored an unbeaten 127, the pair adding 254 for the fourth-wicket.

“It was only a week ago that people were right behind them after the win in Cardiff, and it’s very fickle of people to be saying there needs to be this and that.

“We need to get behind the boys and back them to the hilt.

“It’s going to be an important time over the next few days leading into the Edgbaston Test, and if we don’t get behind them I think it would be wrong of us as a nation.”

Bairstow, who said he could not attribute his form to anything specific, came to the crease with Yorkshire 57-3.

In fresh conditions, with rain preventing a start until 12pm, Yorkshire had run into early problems against Joe Leach, the former Leeds-Bradford pace bowler.

Leach, 24, who looks older and is refreshingly well-stocked around the midriff, removed both opening batsmen inside the first eight overs.

Will Rhodes was lured into a loose drive outside off stump and caught at first slip, and Alex Lees dismissed in similar style – albeit Ross Whiteley juggled the chance before eventually clinging on for the catch.

Leach, who had done his damage from the Peasholm Park end, returned for a second spell from the Trafalgar Square end and pinned Jack Leaning lbw.

Having lost the toss on a flat pitch, the early honours belonged to the visitors.

It was the sort of situation, however, that invariably brings the best out of Yorkshire and, in particular, the best out of Bairstow.

He did not disappoint.

Jack Shantry, the left-arm pace bowler with a windmill action, was driven firmly to the mid-off boundary in an early warning sign.

Brett D’Oliveira, the 23-year-old leg-spinner, was swatted for four through the offside too.

By now, Bairstow had his eye in and the alarm bells for the visitors were ringing.

How, they must have wondered, were they going to get him out?

As the 2,450 crowd looked on, Bairstow, however, was no one-man band.

Gale played wonderfully well too and seems to love Scarborough every bit as much as the Yorkshire supporters who annually make the pilgrimage here.

He also relishes a scrap, and after he and Bairstow had lifted the score to 85-3 at lunch, they rattled along during the chanceless afternoon.

Bairstow went to his half-century from 48 balls with 10 boundaries, and Gale followed him to the mark from 103 deliveries with six fours as he played the perfect foil.

Then, just before tea, and coincidentally just as Jos Buttler was being dismissed during the Lord’s Test, Bairstow reached his hundred from 112 balls with 16 fours (if England do not pick Bairstow purely as a batsman, he could certainly replace Buttler as the batsman/wicketkeeper).

After tea, Bairstow and Gale continued along.

Bairstow offered a tough chance on 126 to D’Oliveira at cover off Shantry, the ball running away for two runs that took the stand to 212 and past Yorkshire’s previous best for the fourth-wicket against Worcestershire of 210 by Arthur Mitchell and Maurice Leyland, scored at Worcester in 1933.

Gale, who played some meaty cuts and drives, went to his fifth hundred in first-class cricket at this ground from 183 balls with 11 fours before Bairstow finally fell with the total on 311, cutting D’Oliveira to backward point.

Adil Rashid pushed Saeed Ajmal to slip, but Yorkshire already have the foundation for a fifth successive victory.

Scorecard: Page 9.

Calder Valley FR’s Ben Mounsey put in one of the best ever performances by a local fell runner with an astonishing third place in the gruelling Snowdon Mountain race on Saturday.

The teacher at Brooksbank School, Elland has had a stellar last 18 months but his performance for England in Wales was a stand-out moment.

It demonstrated that very hard work, dedication, focus and natural talent are a cocktail that when mixed correctly, can take you, quite literally to the highest peaks.

Yorkshire champion Mounsey wore the red and white vest with trepidation and pride alongside his England team mates, the garlanded Rob Hope and Tom Adams.

The field was littered with the finest fell and mountain runners from all over Europe.

The race, which covers 10 miles and more than 3,000ft of ascent, is a speedy test over tricky loose rock terrain, and for Mounsey to come third behind two star Italians was an outstanding result.

He was whisker shy of second placed Massimo Farcoz and only a minute or so behind winner Emanule Manzi.

No mention of Mounsey is complete without his pocket sized training buddy, Northern Ireland’s Gavin Mulholland, who also ran like a demon to finish 11th.

Mounsey and Mulholland both race on the roads for Stainland Lions.

Not far behind in 21st was Jason Williams, another Calder runner who is having an eye-catching season.

Calder’s rejuvenated lady captain Helen Buchan continued her resurgence with an excellent run to come 308th overall.

Illingworth St Mary’s AFC, an instant hit in their 2014-15 debut season, have entered a reserve team in the Haslem-Sheppard Halifax AFL.

The Saints, who play on the 3G pitch at Trinity Academy, Holmfield and have several ex-Halifax Irish Club players in their ranks, won Division Two by a 10-point margin last season.

They suffered only one league defeat, to long-time title rivals Brighouse Sports.

They also showed they could mix it with the area’s best amateur teams, reaching the semi-finals of the Halifax FA Saturday Cup before losing 3-1 to eventual winners Ovenden West Riding.

Illingworth’s reserve team will be the only addition to the league but the number of teams remains at 38 because middle-section side Volunteer Arms have withdrawn.

League fixture secretary David Rattigan said Volunteers, based at the Copley pub and playing home games on Savile Park, had run short of players.

Volunteer have been in Division One for several seasons and Rattigan said: “They often put themselves in with a chance of promotion to the Premier but then dropped off.

“On their day they were a tough side to beat.”

The normal promotion for last season’s top two and relegation for the bottom two will go ahead as normal.

That means a 12-team Premier Division and 13 teams in the other two divisions.

The next league meeting is on Monday, August 2 when Rattigan expects to have the opening fixtures available.

Meanwhile, the league has appointed a new referees’ appointments secretary. Gavin Butler replaces Wayne Cotton, who has stepped down.

STEVE PATTERSON is nicknamed ‘Dead’ by his team-mates, but he breathed life into Yorkshire’s efforts at Scarborough yesterday.

The 31-year-old pace bowler is perhaps not one of cricket’s most animated characters – hence the affectionate monicker.

But put a cricket ball in his hand and he is as lively as the best of them, as he proved on the second day at North Marine Road.

After Yorkshire lifted their overnight 357-5 to 430 all-out, with captain Andrew Gale scoring 164, Patterson took three of the wickets as Worcestershire replied with 195-6.

It was characteristic stuff from the Beverley-born Patterson, who probed away on or around off stump with a surgeon’s precision.

He is the cricketing equivalent of Chinese water torture, constantly landing the ball on the same spot until the poor old batsman is driven insane.

On a day when 20 overs were lost to a combination of rain and bad light, Patterson was Yorkshire’s most successful bowler.

In an attack boasting Ryan Sidebottom, Jack Brooks, Tim Bresnan, Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid, four of them full internationals, that was clearly no mean feat.

Patterson, who captured a 
career-best 5-11 in the corresponding game at New Road in April, took his first wicket with his seventh ball from the Trafalgar Square end.

It was the first delivery after a 20-minute rain delay, and it was the key wicket of Daryl Mitchell, the Worcestershire captain, trapped lbw pushing half-forward.

Mitchell’s dismissal left Worcestershire 53-2 after Brooks had removed fellow opener Richard Oliver with the total on 32.

The left-hander drove at a ball outside off stump and was brilliantly pouched by Plunkett leaping high to his right at fourth slip, a catch that fell firmly into the category marked ‘worldie’.

Before a crowd of 3,600 (an improvement on the first day figure of 2,450, although still slightly disappointing given Yorkshire’s position at the top of the table), Plunkett got his name in the wickets column when he had Tom Fell caught at second slip by Jack Leaning, low to his left.

Patterson then made a double intervention just before tea.

Having switched to the Peasholm Park end, he enticed Brett D’Oliveira to edge behind to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to leave Worcestershire 109-4.

Patterson followed up having Ross Whiteley – who hammered 91 not out from 35 balls with 11 sixes when the sides met at Headingley in the T20 Blast last Tuesday – caught by Leaning at second slip as the visitors slipped to 119-5.

It was pretty much the last action before bad light forced an early tea, followed by a heavy shower and more bad light.

Play resumed at 5.55, but only three balls were possible before umpires Russell Evans and David Millns decided the light had deteriorated further.

Quite a few spectators gave up at that stage, but the dark clouds dispersed and the action restarted at 6.15.

The last 14.3 overs were played out in bright sunshine in which Worcestershire played some bright cricket too, the sixth-wicket pair of Joe Clarke and Ben Cox stretching their sixth-wicket stand to 56 before Cox chipped Brooks to Rashid at mid-wicket.

Clarke finished on a career-best 76 from 105 balls with five fours and a six, but Worcestershire still have a fight on their hands to get out of trouble.

They have predictably been second-best so far, despite the fact Yorkshire have hardly had to get out of second gear themselves.

What Worcestershire do possess, though, is plenty of spirit, which may yet carry them free of the relegation zone.

But they will do well indeed to prevent Yorkshire from recording a fifth successive Championship win.

Yorkshire had begun the day on 357-5, with Gale on 127 and Tim Bresnan 17.

The second new ball was still in its infancy, and Bresnan perished in the morning’s fourth over when he was drawn forward by a good delivery from Joe Leach and superbly caught by Whiteley at first slip, moving to his left.

Liam Plunkett was caught behind off Charlie Morris from one that lifted from just short of a length, and Morris followed up by bowling Patterson for a single and having Jack Brooks caught at first slip by Whiteley for a duck.

It gave Morris 3-1 in 13 balls during an impressive burst from the Trafalgar Square end.

Gale, who reached his 150 from 285 balls with 17 fours, had a life on 164 when he was dropped at point by Clarke off Morris.

He had not added to his score when he was last out 25 minutes before lunch, caught by Mitchell running back from slip as he tried to scoop a delivery from Shantry over third man.

Gale, who faced 297 balls in total and struck 19 boundaries, had thus achieved his second-highest score in first-class cricket.

His highest was at this ground two years ago – 272 not out against Nottinghamshire.

JONNY BAIRSTOW last night 
expressed his pride and delight after being named in the England squad for the third Ashes Test and insisted the hosts can hit back from their heavy defeat at Lord’s.

The Yorkshire batsman has replaced his county colleague Gary Ballance for the match at Edgbaston starting a week today in the only change to the side hammered by 405 runs at headquarters.

Ballance has paid the price for averaging just 17.5 in his last 10 Test innings, although the left-hander still boasts an overall Test average of just under 50.

Bairstow gets his chance after a stunning sequence in county cricket that has brought him 906 runs in 11 County Championship innings at an average of 100.66, with five hundreds and three fifties.

“I’m really pleased to have got the call-up,” said Bairstow, who will bat at No 5 in Birmingham, with Joe Root moving up to No 4 and Ian Bell to No 3.

“I think consistency-wise it’s the best I’ve been, and I’m really pleased to be striking the ball at the moment like that and hopefully it continues.

“It will be a completely different challenge to what I’ve faced so far this season in the county game, and I’m well aware of that.

“International cricket is always a challenge, but that’s why we play the game and what it’s all about.”

Bairstow, 25, has played 14 Tests, the last of them against Australia at Sydney in January last year.

He has used the intervening period to maximum effect, working hard on his game and performing well for Yorkshire.

“I’ve just tried to get on with my business, be at Yorkshire and score runs for Yorkshire,” said Bairstow, who has made 593 Test runs with a highest score of 95 against South Africa at Lord’s in 2012.

“That’s been my No 1 aim – to work hard on my game and do well for the club, and I’m pleased with the way it’s gone this year.

“It’s exciting times for English cricket right now – we saw in the one-day series the brand of cricket being played and the way the team went about their business – and hopefully we can go to Edgbaston next week and put on a show.

“It was only a week or so ago that we beat Australia in Cardiff, so I think a lot of the criticism since then has been pretty harsh, and it’s going to be an exciting series.”

Bairstow also expressed sympathy for Ballance.

“I’m desperately disappointed for Gaz,” he said. “He’s scored a heck of a lot of runs for England in a very short space of time; I think he was the second-fastest to 1,000 runs in an English shirt, so that’s obviously very disappointing for him.

“My thoughts are with him, but it’s inevitable that he’ll be back playing for England sooner rather than later.”

Commenting on England’s 13-man squad for Edgbaston, in which the Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid is retained along with Middlesex pace bowler Steven Finn, James Whitaker, the national selector, said: “The break ahead of the third Test will give the squad time to reflect on the series so far and a chance to focus on playing the positive, confident cricket we saw in Cardiff.

“Ian Bell will move up the order to bat at three, followed by Joe Root, with Jonny Bairstow coming in at five.

“Jonny has worked extremely hard at his game, and his record for Yorkshire speaks for itself. He fully deserves this opportunity.”

Reflecting on Ballance’s omission, Whitaker added: “Gary was naturally disappointed to miss out on this occasion.

“However, we feel that he will benefit from some time in county cricket to rediscover his form.

“He has already had plenty of success at international level, and, as selectors, we are confident Gary will play a significant role for England in the future.

“On behalf of the selectors, I’d like to wish Alastair, Trevor and the squad all the very best for what will, I’m sure, be an entertaining and competitive Test next week.”

England won the first Test in Cardiff by 169 runs before Australia hit back strongly in London.

The fourth Test takes place at Trent Bridge from August 6, and the fifth at The Oval from August 20.

Meanwhile, England have announced that Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth has received an increment contract for 2014-15.

Under the points system, five points are awarded for a Test appearance and two for a T20 or ODI appearance, with an increment contract awarded automatically once a player reaches 20 points during the 12-month contract period.

Lyth has reached 20 points having played four Tests in the current contract period – two against New Zealand and two against Australia.

England women opened their Ashes series with a four-wicket victory over Australia.

Captain Charlotte Edwards said: “We’ve started as perfectly as we could have.”

Reports: Page 22.

SHIFTING major powers from Whitehall to Yorkshire will strengthen the whole of the North so it can compete in the global economy, according to Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese.

Sir Richard dismissed suggestions that the landmark devolution deal struck by Greater Manchester last year had triggered a new era of transpennine competition and argued it was in his city’s interests to see Yorkshire follow suit.

Greater Manchester’s ten councils agreed last year to create an elected mayor in return for sweeping powers in areas such as transport, planning, fire, police and housing investment. The city has also agreed with the Government to take control of a single £6 billion health and social care budget

The latest in The Yorkshire Post’s Big Debate series is looking at how the region should respond to Chancellor George Osborne’s offer to reach similar agreements with other areas that agree to have mayors.

He confirmed in the Summer Budget that discussions are underway with two groups of Yorkshire councils - based around Sheffield and Leeds and their neighbours - but others argue there should be a single regional deal with one elected mayor.

Sir Richard told The Yorkshire Post: “It is very much in Manchester’s interest for other places to catch up. The fact that Leeds City Region, Sheffield City Region are in serious discussions with Government is a very good thing and I hope they are going to be successful discussions because actually from our point of view having a powerful Leeds City Region and a powerful Sheffield City Region is good news not bad news.

“It is a win-win game. We are not in the business of being in competition with Leeds and Sheffield, what we are in the business of is northern cities being in a better position to compete in a global economy. I think we do that better by working together than actually by taking a very parochial view that we are in competition with each other when in a global economy we are not.”

Sir Richard said devolution would allow Greater Manchester to better join-up services in areas such as health, helping people into work and supporting families.

“There is overwhelming evidence that cities, city regions, that have more control over their own economic destiny perform better economically and the national economy performs better as well,” he said.

“Ultimately we want to get a position that there are no decisions taken about Greater Manchester without Greater Manchester.”

The decision of the Labour-dominated area to reach a devolution deal with a Conservative Chancellor last year, just months before a General Election, prompted surprise in some quarters and it is known that before polling day some senior figures nationally were pressing other Labour councils not to follow suit.

“We had been banging on this door for a very long period of time and what happened last year is the door opened,” Sir Richard said.

“We were quite a while off a General Election. What we were clearly trying to do, working with other places including Leeds and Sheffield and other towns and cities in Yorkshire, was to try and get all of the major parties committed to a devolutionary agenda post General Election and I think we largely succeeded.

“But I think there is an element, and most cities would share this view, that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

“By and large on the devolutionary trail, you get what you can when you can and to a certain extent post General Election make it more difficult post General Election for any particular party to say we didn’t really mean it after all.”

The Yorkshire Post is hosting a debate in September on how devolution can shape the region’s future.

For more information, email jayne.lownsbrough@ypn.co.uk

A six-year-old girl was taken to hospital after suffering burns in a house fire in Leeds.

The girl suffered burns to her leg during the fire which happened in the attic bedroom of a property in Mafeking Grove, Beeston, at 5am this morning (Wednesday).

Two appliances from Hunslet Fire Station were dispatched to the incident and they arrived the girl’s father was attempting to extinguish the fire having got the six-year-old and her mother and sister to safety.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went upstairs with a hose reel to ensure the fire was completely out.

The girl was given first aid by firefighters until paramedics arrived and transferred to hospital.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a lamp.

The attic bedroom suffered only minor damage.

Firefighters were at the scene for around 45 minutes.

THE loudest cheers of the day came during the tea break.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Jonny Bairstow has been named in the England squad for the third 
Ashes Test,” came the announcement over the PA system.

Cue much appreciative applause from the North Marine Road crowd.

Yorkshire folk love their Yorkshire cricket, but they are never so one-eyed as to begrudge one of their own getting a chance at the highest level.

And none are more deserving of that chance than Bairstow, whose departure to England after this game will be offset by the return to county colours of the man he is replacing – Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance.

The good Lord giveth, and the good Lord taketh away.

Whatever happens, though, Yorkshire inevitably find a way to cope.

As Bairstow prepares to ready himself for facing the Australians, both he and Yorkshire are aiming for a win that would extend the club’s lead at the top of the County Championship.

They are being made to work hard for it by a Worcestershire side who are second-bottom but who have belied their status as relegation fodder.

The visitors head into the final day on 221-6 in their second innings, a lead of 71.

Having been made to follow-on 150 runs behind, they will have hopes of leaving a tricky target, 
although a Yorkshire victory is the likeliest outcome.

Whatever happens, the match has become unexpectedly interesting – a bit like a novel that has proceeded along fairly predictable lines before the suggestion of a stunning late twist.

The weather could yet come into it, for showers are forecast for the East Yorkshire coast.

Twenty-eight overs have been lost as it is.

Given the grey skies that clung to the ground for much of yesterday, it is a surprise that we have not had further interruptions.

In clammy conditions, Worcestershire resumed on 195-6 needing a further 86 to avoid being asked to bat again. They got off to a flier, 24 runs coming from the first five overs from Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks.

Andrew Gale quickly pulled the plug on that policy, introducing the pace of Ryan Sidebottom from the Trafalgar Square and the spin of Adil Rashid from the Pavilion End, and the move paid off.

Only three runs came from the next five overs, including the wicket of Joe Clarke, whose overnight 76 – already a career-best display – was curtailed at 88 when he edged Sidebottom to Alex Lees at first slip.

Clarke, 19, played an innings of striking composure and he appears to be a player to watch.

Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire director of cricket, called it one of the best innings he had seen from one so young, particularly against an attack as strong as Yorkshire’s.

Rashid, bristling with invention, trapped the other overnight batsman, Joe Leach, with a ball that went straight on before taking the pad.

The leg-spinner then reduced Worcestershire to 242-9 when Jack Shantry pushed to Lees at silly mid-off.

With 39 still needed to avoid the follow-on, Saeed Ajmal, the No 10, chanced his arm to profitable effect.

Three fours came off an over from Plunkett, who conceded 21 from two overs in total after he was brought back to replace the full-and-straight strategy that Sidebottom had followed.

It looked as though Yorkshire’s tactics would backfire – not least when Gale missed a sharp reflex chance at short-leg offered by last man Charlie Morris off Plunkett with the total on 269.

But with just one run needed to escape the follow-on, Tim Bresnan bowled Ajmal for 37, made from just 30 balls with seven fours, and the majority of a 3,500 crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

Worcestershire began their second innings 25 minutes before lunch and were soon in distress when Richard Oliver fell just before the break. The left-hander tried to work Bresnan through leg and was trapped lbw as the visitors fell to 18-1.

Bresnan should have had a second wicket in the second over after lunch, but Lees grassed a low opportunity to his left at first slip before Tom Fell had scored.

The total had reached 65 before Brooks finally got Fell, who top-edged a hook that wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow watched safely into his gloves.

The pendulum swung back towards Yorkshire when they made a double breakthrough in the run-up to tea.

Brooks had Daryl Mitchell caught at first slip by Lees, and Rashid bowled Clarke with a big-turning leg-spinner that left Worcestershire 95-4.

But Brett D’Oliveira and Ross Whiteley added 100 for the fifth wicket in 27 overs, clearing the deficit and frustrating the hosts.

Plunkett finally got D’Oliveira caught at square-leg by Brooks, closely followed by the wicket of Ben Cox fending to Jack Leaning at second slip, but Whiteley held on.

Dropped on 26 by Sidebottom at mid-on off Bresnan, he had reached 65 at stumps, made from 104 balls with eight fours and a six.

Sunday’s Shay visitors Bradford have stepped up their efforts to make an immediate return to Super League with the capture of James Clare and Matt Ryan from Castleford and Wakefield respectively.

Winger Clare, 24, who has scored 24 tries in 38 appearances for his home-town club Castleford, has agreed a deal that will keep him at the Provident Stadium until the end of 2016.

Australian back-row forward Ryan, 27, has joined them to the end of the season after being released by the Wildcats earlier this week.

Clare, who recently completed a loan spell with League One side York, could make his debut for Bradford in Sunday’s final match of the regular Championship season against Halifax.

Bradford coach James Lowes said: “Both have good Super League experience and I think that is going to be important heading into the Super 8s.

“James is a young lad, who is going to have a long future in the game. He is a finisher with great pace and when he became available, we grabbed him.

“Matt had a great season with Wakefield last year and has got a few Super League games under his belt. He offers us fantastic cover, both in the back row and in the centres.

“You want competition for places and they should certainly lift what we are doing in training.”

After finishing second in their first season in the Championship, the Bulls will battle it out in the Super 8s Qualifiers for a place in Super League in 2016.