“I don’t think we’re a million miles off,” said Eagley chair Danny Counsell when discussing his side’s promotion chances after a progressive Saturday. “Another two wins to be sure, I think. It just depends on other results.”
To be precise, three wins from the remaining five would secure second-placed Eagley’s promotion from the Championship division of the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League.
But, for an immediate return to the top-flight, it would be a significant surprise if Counsell’s target of two doesn’t do the trick.
On Saturday, they beat fellow challengers Atherton by 18 runs away from home, defending a target of 196. Atherton started the day in third place.
Not only that, but Eagley closed on leaders Earby, who were also beaten away at Walkden.
Earby remain top on 160 points, Eagley are second on 155 with five games remaining and 60 points available.
More significant, Eagley are now 31 points clear of Baxenden in third – they have five to play – and 37 clear of fourth-placed Atherton, who have six games remaining.
“I’m happy, but I’m keeping my cards close to my chest because there’s still some work to do for us,” said Counsell.
Saturday’s task was completed in impressive fashion.
Having elected to bat, Eagley’s 195-7 total was underpinned by opener Jack Wainman’s 51 and Harvey Seigne’s 52 from number three.
Atherton were then bowled out for 177 as Adeel Baig took the new ball and struck four times. Pakistani pro Danish Aziz added three wickets, Seigne one and James Fallows two.
Atherton had been 70-1, but they were never really up with the rate and lost wickets in the search for quick runs late on. They lost their last five for 29, for example.
Counsell continued: “We thought 195 was a good score on that wicket. But I think we should have actually got more.
“We got off to a flying start but lost our openers, Jack and Danish (Aziz, professional) to run outs.
“Then, while Atherton didn’t lose many wickets early on, they just weren’t scoring quickly enough. We didn’t bowl many boundary balls at all.
“Look, it wasn’t easy to bat on. It was turning square, and our spinners bowled well.”
After a frustrating season last year which ended in relegation, Counsell and all at Eagley can be extremely pleased with the way they have bounced back in 2026 with a different looking team, with their good form including a run to the semi-finals of the Hamer Cup.
They were beaten at home in the last four by Read on Sunday.
Pakistani all-rounder Aziz is in his first season with the club as professional, Baig has returned to them as a local player having previously been pro and Martin Eccles has started his second stint as captain.
Former skipper James Richards moved to Little Lever in the winter, Will Shuttleworth went to Horwich and Luca Doyle to Chorley.
“The difference is that we’re playing as a team now, and not as individuals,” reasoned Counsell.
“Adeel and the pro have both made a big difference to us. They’ve done the business on the pitch and have been really good around the lads and the club more generally as well.”
First port of call is clearly to secure promotion, and this coming Saturday will be a blockbuster in that sense given they host third-placed Baxenden.
But they would love to seal things in style.
“The goal is to go up as champions,” added Counsell. “That would be perfect.
Defending champions Farnworth Social Circle have one hand on the Premiership title once again after they won and closest challengers Little Lever lost during a potentially pivotal Saturday of Anthony Axford North West Cricket League action.
Social Circle won by 207 runs at relegation-threatened Astley Bridge, while second-placed Little Lever – beaten for the second time in as many games – lost away at fourth-placed Read by eight wickets.
It means Christian Walsh’s champions sit top on 173 from 16 games, 25 clear of Little Lever with six games remaining and a maximum of 12 points per win available.
In the Championship, leaders Earby were beaten away at Walkden, with second-placed Eagley winning at another promotion challenger in Atherton to close the gap at the top to five points.
Both Earby (160 points) and Eagley (155) are ideally placed for promotion after 17 games. With five games to go Eagley are 31 clear of third-placed Baxenden.
Baxenden, meanwhile, won a one-wicket thriller at home to Cherry Tree.
In the Premiership, Social Circle hammered Astley Bridge to claim 12 points, with Bajan professional Jameel Stuart’s fine 127 not out off 109 balls recovering them from 92-5 to 282-7 in 45 overs.
They then bowled Bridge out for 75, with Dave Mather claiming 6-46 from 12.3 overs of new-ball seam. Captain Walsh bowled his openers unchanged, with Chris Barrow also striking three times with spin. Barrow had earlier contributed a late 24 not out off 11 balls.
Read impressively chased 229 to beat Little Lever by eight wickets, consigning them to a third defeat of 2026 and a second in succession having been beaten by Padiham last weekend.
Nizam Vaid and Joe Halstead struck twice in Little Lever’s 228-6, with Adam Carter contributing a middle-order 95 not out.
Read openers Will Wrathall (75) and unbeaten centurion Oliver Dinning then all but iced the game by sharing 158.
Delightful Dinning went on to post 103 not out off 84 balls as Read won for the ninth time in 16 games.
In the Championship, Walkden beat leaders Earby by 29 runs to jump into the top five.
Their eighth win in 17 was achieved as Indian overseas amateur Soham Panvalkar top-scored with a middle-order 68 in 183 all out.
Captain Ammad Afzal and Sri Lankan pro Kavindu Amantha then claimed three wickets apiece to bowl Earby out for 154.
Second-placed Eagley are now on Earby’s coat-tails and actually did both a favour by winning at Atherton by 18 runs defending 196.
Eagley’s 195-7 total was underpinned by opener Jack Wainman’s 51 and Harvey Seigne’s 52 from number three.
Atherton, who started the day third. were then bowled out for 177 as Adeel Baig took the new ball and struck four times.
Baxenden jumped up to third with a nail-biting one-wicket win at home to mid-table Cherry Tree, their ninth win in 17.
Cherry Tree were bowled out for 251, with Hamza Arshad striking three times.
In reply, local pro and opener Ben Gorton top-scored with 90 off 84 balls. But he fell at 177-5, and the score later became 231-9.
Matthew Austin and last man Ryan Pearson ended up their heroes, sharing an unbroken 21, including Austin getting seven needed off the last over from Kurt Smithson. He finished 25 not out as victory was sealed with two balls remaining.
There was another Saturday thriller, but in the Premiership.
Tonge won at home to struggling Blackrod by two runs, the visitors falling just short of chasing 163.
Mid-table Tonge’s seventh win in 16 saw them post 162-6 thanks to South African OA Craig Jeffrey’s well-paced 63.
Blackrod, who jumped out of the relegation places as a result of taking five points, recovered from 42-5 to 140-5 before slipping to finish on 160-9, with Matthew Readey having to retire hurt having been struck in the face.
Second-bottom Barnoldswick beat Farnworth at home by 53 runs defending a 220-target for their fourth win in 15 games.
Trailing fourth-bottom Blackrod by 30 points with seven games to go, they probably have too much to do to avoid relegation.
But, in beating them, it has left Farnworth looking over their shoulders. They are only six points ahead of third-bottom Astley Bridge.
Barnoldswick’s 220-9 was fashioned by half-centuries for opener Owais Shah (55) and Jonathan Beech (52) in the middle order.
Muhammad Azmat then impressed with 5-32 as Farnworth were bowled out for 166. They had been nicely placed at 132-2.
The gap between third-bottom Astley Bridge and Blackrod just above them is only three points.
Padiham closed the gap on second-placed Little Lever with their 11th win in 16, by five wickets at home to Lostock.
Captain Toby Burrows struck three times with spin as Lostock were bowled out for 147 before opener Ben Uttley’s well-paced 45 steered a chase which had fallen to 4-1.
Padiham now have 141 points in third to Little Lever’s 148.
Kearsley won away impressively at Salesbury and leapfrogged them into fifth place, a 161-run victory set up by a superb 112 off 88 balls from South African OA Byron Giraudeaux.
He underpinned a 282-9 total, which was ruthlessly defended.
Ali Hassan struck four times and Dhanraj Patel returned 3-7 from seven overs as Salesbury were bowled out for 121. Kearsley secured their ninth win in 16.
And finishing back in the Championship, mid-table Ribblesdale Wanderers won for the seventh time in 17 games, by six wickets at home to lowly Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, who were bowled out for just 92 batting first.
Ribblesdale’s Sri Lankan pro Heshan Dhanushka returned a stunning 6-12 from 10 overs of off-spin before opener Waqar Rafique top-scored with an unbeaten 36 in a stress-free response.
*****
Saturday August 8 – Premiership: Farnworth v Blackrod, Farnworth Social Circle v Barnoldswick, Kearsley v Astley Bridge, Little Lever v Salesbury, Lostock v Read, Padiham v Tonge. Championship: Cherry Tree v Brinscall, Eagley v Baxenden, Earby v Atherton, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Walkden.
