RAWDON blitzed Burley’s hopes of overtaking Aire-Wharfe League Division One leaders Beckwithshaw and left themselves reflecting on what might have been.

Having also beaten the leaders in the last three weeks, they are one of the form teams, and three of their last four matches are against sides in the bottom three, but three defeats early in the second half of the season has left them with too much to do to take the title.

Opener Eliot Goldthorp (51) and Aussie all-rounder Marcus Berryman (49) led the way as Rawdon made 223-9.

Berryman then took charge with the ball, producing a season's-best 5-35 and, together with Bradley Reeve (3-47), skittled out the league’s leading batting line-up for 87.

Otley’s hopes of snatching the title away from Beckwithshaw also dimmed with defeat at the hands of Horsforth.

Chris Thompson (4-37) and Stephen Brown (4-42) appeared to have given Otley the advantage when they dismissed the visitors for 187 in which Ben Heritage hit a half-century.

But Otley’s batting never got going, and even a gutsy 40 from No 7 Sam Kellett couldn’t stop them going down by 27 runs.

Meanwhile, the leaders marched on, skipper Alex Lilley taking 6-25 as Guiseley could only muster 128 in reply to the visitors’ 237-6.

Relegation-threatened Colton raised hopes of a great escape when Tom Glover took 6-35 as Ilkley slumped to 79 and a 117-run defeat, while Pool also crashed to defeat by a side threatened with the drop, dismissed for 73, with North Leeds’ Harry Dixon and Joel Morley each picking up five cheap wickets.

Thackley’s relegation from Division Two was confirmed after Paul Hardwick’s 10.4 over spell of 9-19 dismissed them for 53 to set up a ten- wicket win for Steeton.

Skipton remain favourites to join them in the drop as they could find no response to Tong Park Esholt’s Mahir Ali.

With only a 122 total to defend, he picked up 7-26 and took his seasonal tally to 50 wickets as Skipton limped to 43.

There were more bowling heroics at Ben Rhydding.

After Robbie Miller (64) and Robbie Oldham (69no) helped the home side make 200-9, Henry Barrow (5-27) and Rob Withers (5-37) plunged Leeds Modernians closer to the relegation zone, dismissing them for 66.

Ben Rhydding are hot favourites to go up alongside leaders Adel, who beat Calverley by 37 runs, with Andy Laws doing most of the damage, following up his 89 not out with 5-40.

Follifoot can’t quite be ruled out after they eclipsed Hall Park by 151 runs.

Adeel Ashraf put Saltaire a step closer to promotion from Division Three, taking 6-28 as Harden were bowled out for 91 and then hitting an unbeaten 39 to clinch victory by five wickets.

Olicanian are hot on Saltaire'sheels, Ed Broadley and Sajjad Ijaz each picking up three cheap wickets as Alwoodley were dismissed for 95 to set up a seven-wicket win.

Green Lane can’t be ruled out, however, after Waleed Akhtar (47) and Neil Britton (51no) saw them to 181-9, and Azhar Mahmood restricted New Rover to 140 with a 6-35 spell.