Hoylandswaine's number nine Waqas Maqsood smashed 11 sixes and eight fours in his 111 off 57 balls in a win at Almondbury Wesleyans which secured the league title for a third successive season.

Swaine are 14 points clear with two matches to play in the Premiership, having won 17 of their 19 completed games.  They have completed a double after winning the Sykes Cup while the league title was their fifth in the last seven years.

Captain SP Singh said: “It’s brilliant to win the league again, this time with two games to go. We’ve been very consistent all season because we have so much quality in the team. Almost all of us in the team have played at First Class professional level in the past and some of the lads are still at county clubs. Whenever one person has a bad day, there is someone else to step up and win the game for us.”

Singh is hoping the club will make it four titles in a row in 2020. He said: “I’m not sure how many changes there will be over the winter but hopefully we can keep a strong team together and challenge for the title again. I love it at Swaine. “I played First Class cricket in India and here I get to play with quality cricketers at a really good club.”

At Almondbury, Swaine collapsed from 81 for three to 95 for eight then 129 for nine.  But Maqsood shared a last-wicket stand of 108 with number 11 Adnan Ghani who made eight not out. They were all out for 237 then bowled their hosts out for 117 with Ghani taking four wickets and Gurman Randhawa three. Singh said: “We were in big trouble but to have Waqas at number nine is amazing because he batted at number five for Delph and Dobcross in the same division last season.

“Adnan Ghani stayed with him for ten overs and it was a brilliant partnership which got us into a good position. It was too many runs for Almondbury to chase and we won quite easily in the end to get the league title which was a really good feeling.”