Anthony Axford NWCL Conference Round-Up 2024
By Coby Donnelly
The latest round of the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League Conference Premiership ended with Farnworth Social Circle at the top of the table whilst Foulridge 1sts was stuck at the bottom having only won 2 in 13.
A close game at the Nori Arena saw Read defeat Cherry Tree by 4 runs. Read scored 188-8 off their 45 overs with Mohammed Zakriyah top-scoring with 54, followed by a 38 from Oliver Dinning. In response, Cherry Tree scored 184-3 with Michael Timmis scoring an unbeaten 98.
Farnworth Social Circle moved up to the top of the table after a 37-run victory against Astley Bridge. Social Circle scored 202-7 with Josh French (57 not out) and Chris Walsh (50) both scoring half-centuries despite Paresh Patail taking 5-41. Astley Bridge then scored 165-9 with Ady Cooper top-scoring with 43 after David Tonge took 5-26.
Burnley Belvedere 2nds comprehensively won at home against Ribblesdale Wanderers. Burnley dismissed Ribblesdale for 96 with Nabeel Ur Rahman taking 5-28. Burnley then scored 97-2 from 25 overs with Husnain Ateeq scoring 52.
Little Lever boosted their chances of winning the league after a 5-wicket win against Foulridge 1sts. The latter were dismissed for 93 after Naeem Patel took 4-34. Little Lever then scored 97-5 off 21 overs.
Barrowford 1sts moved into 2nd following an 8-wicket win against Salesbury. The latter was bowled out for 104 with Jack Stones top-scoring with 38 after Jahangir Babar took 4-28. Barrowford then scored 106-2 off 20 overs with Aziz Iqbal scoring an unbeaten 51.
Moving into Conference 2, Kearsley won their 6th game of the season following their visit to Atherton. The hosts scored 161-7 with Mike Tomlinson top-scoring with 39 not out. Kearsley then scored 164-7 with Raj Pushparajah top-scoring 40.
Chatburn won comfortably as they visited Barrowford 2nds. The visitors scored 213-5 with Richard Shovelton (67) and Marcus Harrison (54) both scoring half-centuries. Barrowford was then dismissed for 142 with Arsalaan Ali being left stranded on 83 after Richard Shovelton took 5-16.
Blackrod moved into 4th place after a very close victory against Whalley. Blackrod was dismissed for 73 after Thomas Newton took 6-29. Blackrod then bowled out Whalley for 72 after Lucas Ashworth took 4-24.
Eagley won their 3rd game in a row after a close victory at home against Baxenden. The visitors were dismissed for 144 with Adam Nawaz top-scoring with 37 after Michael Craig took 5-33. Eagley won the game by 2 wickets with 1 over left to spare despite Edward Tomlinson taking 5-31.
Lostock moved into 5th place following their visit to Oswaldtwistle Immanuel. Lostock was bowled out for 153 after Matthew Cook took 6-44. Oswaldtwistle was then dismissed for a dismal 48 after Aaron Patel (4-6) and Darren Parr (4-22) took 4 wickets.
Padiham moved into 1st place following their comprehensive victory against Earby. Padiham was dismissed for 241 after only 34.2 overs with Liam Simm scoring a fantastic 105. Padiham then dismissed Earby for 60 with Jimmy Gray taking 6-29.
Tonge won their 3rd game of the season following their game against bottom-placed Foulridge 2nds. The latter was bowled out for 64 after Rob Tully took 6-21. Tonge comfortably won the game by 8 wickets.
Walkden won their 10th game of the season as they hosted Brinscall. The visitors scored 151-8 with Dinusha Jayasekara top-scoring with 42. Walkden then won the game by 4 wickets with Salman Younis top-scoring with 51.
