Anthony Axford North West Cricket League champions Farnworth Social Circle raced into round two of the Lancashire Knockout on Sunday as they thrashed Clitheroe by nine wickets chasing just 57.
A handful of NWCL sides featured in Sunday’s opening round of five, including the final on August 30, which could be played at Lancashire’s new second home of Farington. Three of them won and two of them were beaten.
Current Premiership leaders Little Lever were triumphant at Walsden by eight wickets, while Kearsley won by 30 runs at Prestwich. Both those games were rain-affected.
Unfortunately, Read were beaten at home by Royton and Salesbury away at Garstang.
The second round takes place on Sunday June 7.
Social Circle won a game which lasted less than 49 overs combined across the two innings.
Clitheroe, currently mid-table in the Lancashire League Premier League, were blown away for just 56 inside 33 overs before the Bolton side chased inside 17.
Only two Clitheroe batters made double figures and no one bettered 13, as Basil Sultan claimed 4-15 from seven overs of off-spin.
New-ball seamer Lewis Whittle should also be credited for returning figures of 3-3 from six overs, including three maidens, while Dave Mather struck once and Daniel Hughes twice.
In reply, Sultan contributed an unbeaten 18 from number three, though opener Archie Walsh top-scored with 26 not out.
Little Lever were convincing winners at Lancashire League side Walsden, by eight wickets chasing a revised target of 158 in 37 overs. They got there inside 29.
Earlier, they had bowled Walsden out for 181 in their 45 overs.
Andy Flear led the way with three wickets, while Mukhtar Nasir and South African professional JP King claimed two wickets apiece and James Richards also struck.
Little Lever’s reply was powered by opener Cameron Murray’s excellent 93 not out off 95 balls, him sharing a second-wicket 124 from 8-1 with Adil Nisar, who contributed 40 before falling with the winning line in sight.
Kearsley posted 234-7 in their 45 overs away at Prestwich – currently mid-table in the Greater Manchester Premier League – thanks in the main to a superb opening 105 off 112 balls from Mohmedruhan Tirmizi. He hit 15 fours and a six.
Dhanraj Patel also contributed 70 off 63 balls from number five, the pair sharing 96 for the fourth wicket to advance the NWCL side from 85-3.
Then the weather intervened, leaving Prestwich chasing a revised target of 115 in 20 overs. And it was something they feel short of, at 84-4.
New-ball duo Mustafa Bashir and Irfan Kareem had success; Bashir with one wicket, Kareem with two. Muhammad Shoaib claimed the other wicket.
An unbeaten 37 from Prestwich opener Stuart Els wasn’t enough for the hosts.
As for the defeats, Salesbury were beaten convincingly by Northern Pyramid Premier League side Garstang, by seven wickets away from home.
Salesbury were bowled out for 108, including Oliver Rawson’s lower-order 25.
Cory Cater and Tom Higson claimed three wickets apiece for Garstang before their opener Michael Walling top-scored with 44 in a chase which was only briefly threatened when Chris Boardman had opener Higson caught and bowled.
Read’s home defeat came against Royton of the Greater Manchester Premier League, by 81 runs as they failed to chase 265 in 45 overs.
Royton’s strong total of 264-5 was centred around a trio of half-centuries from Liam Brown with 52, Sri Lankan pro Hareen Buddila with 50 and Bilawal Iqbal’s 89.
Read’s Sri Lankan pro Sehan Weerasinghe claimed two wickets.
He also contributed 36 to a reply which saw South African OA Zadian Muller top-score with a lower middle order 65, though it fell short at 183 all out.
Elsewhere, there were round one wins for defending champions Northern, Morecambe, Cheshire Lines, Rainford, Horwich, Netherfield, Leigh, Vertex, Chorley, Ormskirk and Settle.
Padiham, champions in 2023, are safely through to the second round of the Hamer Cup after a big round one win at home to Astley Bridge on Sunday.
The Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s main cup competition got underway at the weekend with five first round ties.
There was a one-wicket win for Championship high-flyers Baxenden at home to Walkden, while second-tier Cherry Tree won at Premiership strugglers Lostock.
Atherton and Farnworth also won their ties away at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel and Blackrod respectively.
The second round takes place on Sunday June 14.
In an all Premiership clash, hosts Padiham hammered Astley Bridge by 134 runs on the back of their commanding 40-over total of 256-7.
Declan Bailey led the way with a brilliant 104 off 87 balls from number three. He shared a defining second-wicket partnership of 158 from 11-1 with opener Ben Uttley, who contributed 70. Bilal Patel claimed three wickets for Astley Bridge.
However, their chase never got off the ground, and they were bowled out for 122 thanks in the main to three wickets apiece for Daniel Higham and captain Toby Burrows.
Championship side Baxenden have won four out of five league games, the other abandoned due to rain on Saturday. Twenty four hours later, they crept passed Walkden chasing 164.
Former captain Ben Ross with 17 not out and Matthew Austin (unbeaten on two) got them over the line at the end after their chase had slipped from 41-0 and 107-3.
Walkden’s 163 all out saw Edward Tomlinson and new Baxenden captain Aneeq Hassan claim three wickets apiece, two also going to Joseph Ince.
In a chase which ended up being successful but only just, opener Charlie Elwood top-scored with 40. Hassan, Ince and Elwood are all new signings for 2026.
Championship promotion chasers Cherry Tree won at Lostock, who have lost four of their five games in the Premiership added to a Saturday abandonment due to rain.
Cherry Tree triumphed by 67 runs on the back of their 170-5 total from 40 overs.
Ross Bretherton top-scored with a top order 50 before a devastating bowling display was led by Mark Hadfield’s 5-13 from 7.5 overs and local professional Mini Bhada’s 4-12 from six as Lostock were bowled out for just 103.
Earlier, Bhada had started his good day by contributing 30 with the bat.
Farnworth won by 95 runs at Blackrod, thanks in the main to an excellent 101 not out off 113 balls from Anglo-Australian Liam Smith, batting at number three.
He underpinned their 204-7 before Ben Chapman, Corne Kennedy and Dharmik Patel all claimed three wickets in Blackrod’s stumbling 109-9. That was an all Premiership clash.
And finally, Atherton were Sunday’s biggest winners away at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel – by 142 runs – as they advanced to next month’s second round, when the likes of champions Little Lever will enter the fray.
Atherton posted 218-8 from their 40 overs thanks mainly to Sawan Kankanange’s 75 and Bajan OA Jamaine Bullen’s 67. Both were in aggressive mood.
In reply, Oswaldtwistle were bowled out for just 76 as Harry Morgan claimed three wickets added to two apiece for Bullen, his new-ball partner Zeeshan Aslam and Kankanange.
