Tonge professional Hashan Dumindu hit a stunning 118 off 102 balls to help secure a memorable come-from-behind Premiership victory at home to Kearsley in Saturday’s round of Anthony Axford North West Cricket League matches.
Sri Lankan Dumindu, batting at number three, saw his side slip to 93-8 before marshalling the tail to a 174 all out total in 35 overs. He shared a ninth-wicket 58 with captain Conor Lord and 23 for the 10th with Kieran Fletcher.
Lord contributed only four and Fletcher nought not out as Dumindu crashed nine fours and 10 sixes. He later struck once with the ball to bowl Kearsley out for 143, securing a fourth win in eight games. Shoyab Haji took four wickets.
Tonge sit mid-table in a division headed by Read, who have now won eight from eight and have 88 points.
They won at Farnworth by eight wickets chasing a revised 112-target.
Second-bottom Farnworth were bowled out for 113 in 39 overs as South African overseas amateur Zadian Muller claimed five wickets and Chris Holt four. Captain and opener Will Wrathall top-scored with 53 unbeaten in a routine reply.
While Read lead the Premiership, Ribblesdale Wanderers (71 points) are top of the Championship having beaten pre-game pacesetters Oswaldtwistle Immanuel at home – their fifth win in nine.
Wanderers won a 37-over game by 64 runs thanks to Waqar Rafique’s impressive all-round display and five wickets for Sri Lankan pro Heshan Dhanushka.
Rafique top-scored with a well-paced 50 not out from number four in 147-7 before striking three times in Oswaldtwistle’s 83 all out.
Cherry Tree are second, only a point behind, following a thrilling one-wicket win at Brinscall chasing 167.
Brinscall’s 166-7 in 45 overs saw Mark Hadfield, captaining the side, take three wickets before Cherry Tree slipped from 128-4 to 165-9. However, Joe Littler’s middle order 36 not out proved crucial, including hitting the winning runs.
They have won six from seven and have two games in hand on Ribblesdale.
Back in the Premiership, pro Iftikhar Naseer led second-placed Padiham (70 points) to their fifth win in eight outings, by 115 runs at home to Salesbury, as his fabulous all-round display included a hat-trick.
He hit 70 off 49 balls in 240-9 from 40 overs before returning 5-37 from 6.1 overs in Salesbury’s 125 all out. Zander Van Tonder took the new ball and set the tone with four wickets before Naseer bowled Liam Parkinson – 121-5 – and Andrew Mercer. Sandwiched in between, he had Tom Stones caught.
That was the third hat-trick in the last two rounds of the NWCL.
Even though Farnworth Social Circle have won one more game than Padiham, they are four points behind in third.
Social Circle were home winners by four wickets against Eagley (184-7).
Basil Sultan continued his excellent form with three wickets before Bajan pro Jameel Stuart’s 69 not out off 57 balls was the cornerstone of a chase which was briefly threatened at 126-5.
Atherton’s second win from eight gave them some breathing space above the relegation places, and it was an impressive one away at 2023 champions Little Lever.
Bajan pro Shayne Moseley top-scored with an opening 93 off 94 balls in 288-5 from 42 overs before Atiq Shah and Akmal Ghafoor struck three times apiece as Little Lever, chasing a revised 294 in 42, were bowled out for 241.
Last year’s champions Blackrod, however, were weekend winners at bottom side Lostock. Their fourth win from eight leaves them fifth on 57 points, four adrift of Little Lever.
Blackrod’s 156-6 from 37 overs included a fine run-a-ball 93 not out from Sri Lankan pro Navod Paranavithana before he claimed two wickets in Lostock’s 112 all out. Matthew Readey took a new-ball four-for.
Whalley are third in the Championship, four points behind Cherry Tree.
They beat bottom side Walkden by two wickets chasing 119, their fifth win in eight.
Josh Dentith returned four wickets as Walkden were bowled out for 118 en-route to an eighth successive defeat. Stuart Crabtree top-scored with a middle order 23, but Whalley fell from 73-2 to 109-8.
Dentith, nine not out, then hit a six to win it.
Mid-table Barnoldswick got back on track by winning at promotion rivals Astley Bridge by four wickets chasing 211.
Deron Greaves, their OA from St Vincent and the Grenadines, claimed four wickets in Bridge’s 210-9 before Australian pro Trent Riddell top-scored with a well-paced 82 from number three in a victory secured with seven balls remaining.
Barnoldswick, who triumphed in each of their opening four matches, have now won five from seven in the second tier.
Second-bottom Earby’s second win was achieved by 109 runs at home to Baxenden, them riding on the best individual batting and bowling performances of the round across both divisions.
Sri Lankan pro Dunith Jayathunga underpinned 227-8 with 119 off 100 balls from number four before South African OA Jared Bone bowled Baxenden out for 118 with an excellent 6-39 from 13.2 overs of off-spin.
Ribblesdale Wanderers beat pre-game leaders Oswaldtwistle Immanuel on Saturday to move top of the Championship in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League – and captain Bilal Ahmed believes they are showing signs of being able to stay the course and distance.
Promotion is the aim for the Clitheroe-based side, who are enjoying an impressive 2025.
As well as winning five of nine league games so far, they are also into the quarter-finals of the Hamer Cup and have won three of four T20 games so far to remain on course for the last eight in the Birtwistle Cup.
“We’ve got good momentum at the moment, and we’re churning out wins,” said captain Ahmed, in his first year in charge having replaced Mack Spencer in the winter.
“At the start of the season, we weren’t at our best. But we’re now performing in all three facets of our game consistently. We’re hopeful that continues throughout the rest of the season.”
That Wanderers are “churning out wins” is clearly a great sign, and the way the league is shaping up it looks like they can’t really afford to take their foot off the gas.
Saturday’s success, by 64 runs at home to Oswaldtwistle, put them one point clear of Cherry Tree on 71 points.
Only 10 points separate the top five teams in the race for the two promotion places, with Ribb, Cherry Tree, Whalley, Oswaldtwistle and Barnoldswick all having played a different number of games.
Ahmed and co, for example, have played nine, whereas second-placed Cherry Tree have only played seven.
“I feel like it’s definitely going to go down to the last game,” he continued.
“Unfortunately, we finish a couple of rounds early in September, so there’s a bit more for us to do. We have to continue the way we are at the moment.
“It’s obviously a really exciting race for the neutral because there are a lot of clubs there and thereabouts.
“And it’s probably going to take one team or another to just go on a bit of a run where they go on unbeaten for the next 10 or 12 games to break free. That’s what we want to do, and we’re full steam ahead.”
Ahmed, in his second spell with the club having previously played at Clitheroe, was delighted with his side’s performance on Saturday, in particular Australian overseas amateur Jordon Kelly, Waqar Rafique and Sri Lankan professional Heshan Dhanushka.
Kelly’s opening 46 set the hosts on their way to a 147-7 total in a 37-overs per side game. New signing Rafique, formerly of Feniscowles, top-scored with 50 not out off 57 balls before claiming three wickets with his off-spin in a successful defence.
Ahmed described him as “a champion bowler”.
Dhanushka, who also bowls off-spin, returned the pick of the figures – 5-20 from 7.3 overs – as Oswaldtwistle were bowled out for 83.
“We had a couple of good performances with the bat from Jordon and Waqar,” reflected Ahmed. “And we felt that 150 was probably par on that wicket.
“Then, our focus was putting the ball in the right areas and asking questions consistently. It didn’t really go for Ian and Jordan (the Britcliffes, father and son). But as soon as the spinners came on, that really changed the game.”
Oswaldtwistle had been well placed at 57-2, only to lose their last eight wickets for 26.
It was around this time last season that Ribblesdale, who were relegated from the Premiership, lost their pro Michael Erlank, who was called back to South African by the KwaZulu-Natal Inland side to prepare for their summer.
It left them, obviously, lacking continuity as they went from sub pro to sub pro for the remainder of the summer.
However, they are delighted with how Sri Lanka’s Dhanushka has started.
“Heshan started off really well with the ball, then it sort of changed a little bit,” said Ahmed. “He’s been scoring a lot of runs lately. He’s had a couple of hundreds and a 90 not out.
“He was a bit unlucky on Saturday that he nicked off early, but he produced with the ball. He’s also a very handy fielder.
“We’re really pleased with the way he’s going.”
While there is quite a bit of experience in the first-team at present, Ahmed is also enthused by the development of some talented youngsters in the second team who could step up if needed this season and then “become the main men in a couple of years”.
By then, Wanderers will hope to be established in the Premiership. As things stand, they are on course to get there come September time.
