On a fine but chilly afternoon at Wakefield Road, the Scholes skipper won the toss and chose to bat first on an excellent surface and outfield expertly prepared by Chris and Rod. What followed was a competitive encounter that ultimately saw Lightcliffe claim a confident, five-wicket victory to back up an excellent win at Keighley last week.

Scholes’ innings began under pressure from Lightcliffe’s opening bowlers. Walker and Holdsworth bowled with good control. The first 10 overs were tight, dominated by dot balls punctuated with the occasional boundary. Walker made the breakthrough when Greenwood nicked one and Laban, fresh from a morning trying to source nappies in the Hipperholme area, held on at second slip, giving Lightcliffe a deserved early success.

However, Lightcliffe had to wait longer for their next breakthrough. Robson and Salman dug in well and frustrated the hosts with a good partnership, carrying the score to 114-1 at drinks. The interval, though, brought the twist - both batters fell in quick succession, with Pickles and Dey striking with the score still on 114.

Jackson and Mahmood steadied things again before accelerating, with Jackson the aggressor, racing to 60 at better than a run a ball. At 188-3 with 10 overs to go, Scholes looked set for a total well north of 260. Then came the defining momentum shift when first Mahmood tried to launch Dey into the car park but was pouched by Stead at cow corner, Jackson quickly followed to the same combination, triggering the collapse. From there, Scholes lost regular wickets, finishing on 231-9. Lightcliffe’s fielding was on point, creating run out opportunities in the ring and showing safe hands in the outfield. Dey went back-to-back continuing his impressive start, claiming a second successive five-wicket haul and showcasing his exciting skill set to the Wakefield Road crowd.

After a well-received tea under the club’s new ordering system, Lightcliffe’s chase nearly got off to a shaky start. Fell got one to nip and bounce, taking Stead’s edge in the first over - but the chance was too sharp for the keeper and went down. From that point, Lightcliffe never looked back.

Lockley ignited the innings with three successive sixes, plinking the first one before following it up with two towering blows that left dog walkers in the field ducking for cover. He and Stead played some glorious strokes, propelling the score to 85-0 after just 10 overs and taking the sting out of the chase.

Lockley departed for a blistering 59 off 37 balls with the score on 99. Laban then joined Stead, looked stress-free and eased into his work with some classy straight driving. Stead reached his half-century but fell soon after - following up a beautiful straight six with a pull shot that found midwicket.

Laban’s serene 48 carried Lightcliffe to 191-4, before falling along with Dey (8). Lightcliffe were left needing just 41 from 17 overs. Despite the further loss of Malik for a chilled out 17, the result was never really in doubt. Jowett and Pickles finished unbeaten, and fittingly, it was Pickles - backing up his excellent bowling display (2-41) - who sealed the win with a sumptuous cover drive, bringing Lightcliffe to 234-5 and 19 points.

Post-match media duties were handled by Pickles. Still elated after hitting the winning runs, he stated, "I'll be watching that drive back on repeat for the next few days, Jess has already asked the hotel in Malaga if they can get FrogBox clips on the big screen so I can walk fellow holidaymakers through the poise and balance.”

Match Report from Rhys Jowett. Photographs from Bob Horne.