BARNSLEY Woolley Miners are hoping their first league win of the season leads to a title challenge while they are frustrated that the format of the Twenty20 Blast they won last year has changed.

The Shaw Laners won by 92 runs at Treeton on Saturday, having lost one league game and had three abandoned previously this season.

Captain Beck Frostick said: “It was great to get a first league win and it’s about time.

“We are just glad to get some cricket in on a Saturday.

“We couldn’t fall any further behind in the league and, if other games were played and ours wasn’t, you could pretty much call the season over already.

“We 100 per cent want to compete for the title.

“We have had some good results in the cups and we think we are a strong all-round team.

“It’s something we want to try to achieve and, if we don’t get there, we will obviously try to get as high as we can.”

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Jake Weatherald whacked 80 off 53 balls with seven fours and six sixes in Barnsley’s 216 for eight after the match was reduced to 30 overs per side.

Adam Copley then took five wickets and Oliver Jackson three as Treeton were bowled out for 124.

“It was a difficult wicket to bat on.

“We went out with good intent and were about 70 over par. The batters played well, especially Jake, and we were massively in front at half-time.

“Then Adam Copley ripped through them. He’s been threatening all season so for him to finally do that is brilliant.”

Barnsley then fell 19 runs short chasing 162 at Middlesbrough in the ECB Club Championship.

“It was disappointing.

“We did well as a bowling and fielding group. I thought 160 was about par then, after about 28 overs of our innings, I felt we had the game in the bag.

“We seemed to be cruising.

“But a couple of individual errors and not taking responsibility cost us.

“But we’re still a young group and some of them are still on a learning curve.”

Barnsley are now due to host Hallam in the league on Saturday then begin their defence of the Twenty20 Blast on Sunday.

The 20-over competition started with a league last season but has been changed into small groups for this season, with Barnsley hosting Wakefield Thornes and Sheffield Collegiate.

“I am pretty disappointed with how the Twenty20 is run this year.

“If we don’t finish top on Sunday, that’s it – we’re gone.

“I don’t think that is good enough from the league.

“T20 is the pinnacle around the world so to take more games away from the lads is quite disappointing.

“With Premier League cricket, you should try to play as many games as possible. “The format last season was perfect – everyone got six games then the top four in the league went through to finals day.

“I don’t understand the decision but we can’t do anything about it now.

“We’ll just have to go out and try to get through so we can defend our title.”

Elsecar won their first completed league game of the season, at Whitley Hall on Saturday.

Captain Moin Ashraf took four for 18 off 14 overs as the hosts made 168 having been 54 for five then 146 for five.

Taruwar Kohli top-scored with 74 as Elsecar won with six overs and five wickets left.

They then lost by a run against Aston Hall on Sunday.

Craig Moffat took six wickets then Kohli made 68. But Elsecar collapsed from 137 for two to 168 all out.