Farnworth Social Circle are the new Premiership leaders in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League – and they were indebted to record-breaking Jameel Stuart for firing them there on Saturday.
Bajan batting all-rounder Stuart hit a remarkable 236 not out off 119 balls as the Social Circle beat Atherton by 258 runs at home. His second double century of the summer represented the highest ever individual score in the three-season history of the NWCL.
He crashed 19 sixes and as many fours, underpinning a 45-over total of 376-5 to which Atherton could only respond with 118 all out. New-ball seamer Dave Mather impressed for 6-58.
The Bolton side’s 11th win in 14 games saw them claim the full 12 points on offer and capitalise on a slip-up by Read, who were beaten at Padiham – only their third reverse of the league season.
It now sets up a blockbuster clash between the top two teams at Read on Saturday, the difference between them just a point. Social Circle have 127 points, Read 126. That will be the first of eight remaining games.
Padiham’s home victory over Read – their eighth in 14 to move up to third in the table on 103 points – was achieved by five wickets chasing 188.
South African overseas amateur Zander Van Tonder struck four times to limit Read to 187-9 before opener Ben Uttley’s 72 off 66 balls led a stress-free chase, started with a first-wicket stand of 56 with Joe Edgar.
The eye-catching result in the Championship saw Astley Bridge captain Syd De Silva claim a superb seven-for to inspire a landslide seven-wicket victory at home to Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, who they bowled out for just 33.
De Silva opened the bowling with spin and returned figures of 7-16 from 8.5 overs, supplemented by three wickets for South African overseas amateur Ulli Bronkhorst.
Five Oswaldtwistle batters recorded ducks and no one reached double figures, Bridge winning for the eighth time in 14 games to keep themselves in the promotion mix. Ubaid Ullah top-scored with 12 not out in response.
Ribblesdale Wanderers strengthened their grip on top spot in the second tier, their 10th win in 16 achieved in impressive fashion – by nine wickets chasing 203 at Baxenden.
Seamer Ian Britcliffe’s five wickets featured in Baxenden’s 202-9 before Australian OA Jordon Kelly’s brilliant opening 122 not out off 81 balls with nine sixes lit up a chase inside 28 overs.
He dominated partnerships of 94 and 113 unbroken for the first and second wickets with Hammad Amin and Waqar Rafique.
Whalley are just behind Ribblesdale in second place having won their 10th game in 14, this one away at bottom-placed Brinscall by 110 runs defending a 209-target.
Ethan Jackson’s middle-order 72 was the feature innings in Whalley’s 208-9 before pro Levi Wolfenden and Josh Dentith equally shared eight wickets in Brinscall’s 98 all out.
Ribblesdale sit top with 132 points from 16 games and Whalley second with 127 from 14. Those two occupy the promotion places.
Cherry Tree are third on 115 points after 13 games and the aforementioned Astley Bridge fourth on 103 from 14.
Cherry Tree beat Earby at home in an engaging low-scoring game which could have gone either way.
The hosts won for the ninth time in 2025. This came by 16 runs on the back of a 192-9 total led by pro Mini Bhada’s composed 56. In reply, second-bottom Earby were 54-0 and 95-2, only to fall to 176 all out in the penultimate over.
Mark Hadfield and captain Andreas Sudnik claimed three wickets apiece.
Back in the Premiership, fourth-placed Kearsley – 100 points from 14 games – were six-wicket winners away at champions Blackrod, who crumbled to 84 all out.
New-ball seamer Mustafa Bashir claimed five wickets as Kearsley won for the eighth time to continue their productive campaign.
Like Oswaldtwistle in that aforementioned Championship fixture, a handful of Blackrod batters posted ducks. South African substitute pro Jacques Snyman top-scored with 32 in reply.
Blackrod are part of the mid-table pack hunting down a top-four finish for Lancashire Knockout qualification for next year.
Little Lever are fifth with seven wins. They won at Salesbury, who are part of that conversation.
Opener Cameron Murray’s well-paced 110 off 115 balls underpinned Little Lever’s 253-8 before Pakistani professional Muhammad Junaid followed up 49 with five wickets in Salesbury’s 197 all out.
Sixth-placed Lostock’s sixth win was achieved away at bottom-side Eagley, by seven wickets chasing 108.
Adam Syddall claimed four wickets having taken the new ball to help bowl Eagley out for 107 before Pakistani pro Akbar Ur Rehman underpinned a routine reply with an unbeaten 59.
Blackrod are seventh, Salesbury eighth – both still within striking distance of Kearsley.
Farnworth boosted their survival hopes and dented Tonge’s chances of top four. They won at Tonge by 77 runs. Win number four puts them on 72 points, 10 clear of second-bottom Atherton and 14 ahead of Eagley.
Opener Matthew Hicks top-scored with 62 in Farnworth’s 181 all out before striking three times as Tonge were bowled out for 104.
Back in the Championship, Walkden dented Barnoldswick’s promotion hopes with a five-wicket home win chasing 208.
Walkden’s fifth win came after captain and new-ball seamer Ammad Afzal claimed five wickets in Barnoldswick’s 207 all out before Indian OA Saqlain Haider top-scored in reply with a brisk 69.
Barnoldswick are now fifth in the table, 27 points adrift of second-placed Whalley.
Lostock’s stand-in captain Matt Lamb believes a new-found ruthless streak has been instrumental in the Chew Moor Lane side’s impressive mid-season run of form in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s Premiership division.
Lostock have elevated themselves from a relegation scrap to mid-table safety in the top flight. In fact, placed sixth in the table with six wins from 14, they have their eyes set on a top-four finish.
That would bring with it Lancashire Knockout qualification for next season, something they achieved when finishing second behind Little Lever in 2023.
Lamb is at the helm for a fortnight with James Evans on holiday, and he oversaw a resounding seven-wicket win at bottom-side Eagley on Saturday as they bowled the hosts out for 107 and then chased with significant comfort.
It was their fourth win on the trot dating back to the start of the month.
With 87 points to their name, they are 13 points behind fourth-placed Kearsley with eight rounds remaining.
“We’re on a decent run at the moment,” said opening batter Lamb. “We’re certainly more comfortable than we were a month or so ago.
“Everyone seems to be beating everyone this season. A few teams have lost around us, which has pushed us up that bit further.
“We’ve been playing some really good cricket over the last few weeks.
“We sat down and chatted about things a few weeks back and said, ‘We’re not doing things badly, but when you lose you can get into a rhythm of perhaps not pushing quite as hard’.
“We spoke about being more ruthless in everything that we do, whether that was being selfish with the bat or taking it upon yourself to be that change with the ball.
“We also said that there were times when teams would talk us out when we were batting, and we needed to start doing that a bit.
“One of the lads even said that we’re too nice, and that we need to just be that team who is really gritty and who people don’t like playing against. Essentially, since then, our form’s turned around and we’ve been putting out the performances.”
Having spoken about the mental side of the game, Lamb also says Lostock have improved skill wise.
“Early season, we were doing one of the three aspects well. But now we’ve started to put them all together,” he said.
On Saturday, their win was set up by their performance with the ball and in the field. Adam Syddall took the new ball and claimed 4-27 from 12 overs, while fellow seamers Reece Gray and David Flanagan struck twice apiece in bowling Eagley out for 107.
Pakistani professional Akbar Ur Rehman claimed two wickets with spin before top-scoring with a measured 59 not out off 84 balls in a routine chase.
“Normally at Eagley, it’s more of a spinner’s wicket,” said Lamb. “But, on Saturday, it was swinging from ball one. We just kept on bowling Syds because he was really threatening every single ball. We just thought something was going to happen.
“He hasn’t bowled a 12-over spell for Lostock in a while. But he bowled really well and helped to set us up.
“Obviously, only chasing 107, we then knew we didn’t need to go after it as much we would have done had we been posting a total. Akbar and George Jackson (27 in a third-wicket stand of 88 from 17-2) batted really sensibly.”
Below fourth-placed Kearsley are five other teams within 18 points of them, of which Lostock are obviously one.
Another are Salesbury, who are visitors this coming Saturday for what is shaping up to be a key clash.
“The Lancs Knockout is definitely our target,” added Lamb.
“That was the target at the start of the season, trying to get top four. And looking at the table, it’s well within our grasp.
