Both semi-finals on Sunday just gone were clashes between Championship and Premiership sides in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League.

Second-tier side Atherton beat Farnworth at home, while Read from the Premiership won away at Eagley.

The final will take place at Little Lever, the home of the defending champions – 1pm start – with a reserve day slated for August 30 should it be required.

Atherton are chasing promotion from the Championship and beat a Farnworth team who are not out of relegation danger in the Premiership.

Jack Welch’s side triumphed by 18 runs, with Indian professional Raghavendra Pratap their hero thanks to a superb 101 off 67 balls with seven sixes and eight fours and 4-29 from 7.4 overs of seam.

Captain Welch elected to bat first, with Pratap, who turned 23 on Saturday, underpinning a total of 193 all out inside 39 of 40 overs from number four.

No other Atherton batter made it beyond 25, with four Farnworth bowlers striking twice apiece. Yasir Rashid was the pick of the bowlers with 2-17 from 7.1 overs having taken the new ball.

Pratap led a recovery from 96-5.

Farnworth will be mighty frustrated at losing this one given they were ideally placed at 128-2 in the 29th over of their reply before a run out of captain and opener Tayler-Jay Heyes for 51 sparked a collapse to 175 all out.

Israr Ullah also fell for an innings-high 62.

While Pratap struck four times, Zeeshan Aslam claimed three to advance an Atherton side who have spent much of their existence in the Bolton Association, which goes a long way to explaining why they have never won this competition.

Their showpiece opponents Read, meanwhile, have. They have even won the Hamer Cup at Little Lever before, beating the hosts by nine wickets chasing 101 two summers ago.

Read’s semi-final success came by 12 runs away at Eagley, who fell narrowly short of chasing a 40-over target of 215.

Like Atherton, Eagley are chasing promotion from the Championship and oh so nearly sprung a surprise.

Read, who elected to bat, were bowled out for 214. South African overseas amateur Zadian Muller top-scored with a middle-order 81 off 70 balls, while opener Oliver Dinning added 41.

Dinning scored a match-winning century against Little Lever in the league on Saturday.

Eagley’s Pakistani pro Danish Aziz impressed with 4-19 from eight overs of spin.

Aziz had an excellent day and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side given he posted an opening 62 off 88 balls.

And, much like Farnworth in the other semi-final, Eagley were well placed in their chase.

Aziz shared half-century partnerships for the second and third wickets with Harvey Seigne (35) and Noah Smith (25) as the score moved to 123-2 in the 27th over.

But Joe Halstead returned figures of 4-45 from seven overs to put the skids under the hosts, who finished on 202-9. Halstead successfully defended a target of 22 off the last over.

Muller also capped his good day with two wickets having taken the new ball, including the key scalp of Aziz.