Promotion-chasing Baxenden claimed twin victories in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s Championship over the weekend to keep the pressure on leading duo Eagley and Atherton.

A full programme of matches across both divisions on Saturday was followed by a trio of second-tier fixtures on Sunday. Now third-placed Baxenden were the only team to win two matches.

They beat bottom side Oswaldtwistle Immanuel and Cherry Tree, both chasing targets. The first was by seven wickets, the second by 10.

In the Premiership, leading duo Little Lever and Farnworth Social Circle both won on Saturday. Champions Social Circle triumphed in a nervy, low-scoring Farnworth derby.

Little Lever won for the seventh time in eight, by eight wickets chasing just 90 away at Barnoldswick. 

The hosts were bowled out for 89, with James Richards and South African professional JP King taking three wickets apiece. Remarkably, Barnoldswick lost their last nine wickets for 13. 

Two wickets fell in three balls on three separate occasions before South African overseas amateur Jade Smith hit an unbeaten 48 in a Little Lever (87 points) chase achieved in 12.5 overs.

Social Circle are eight points behind leaders Little Lever in second on 79 having claimed their sixth victory in eight. 

This came in the fascinating aforementioned Farnworth derby away at Bridgeman Park, one which saw only 151 runs scored and 16 wickets fall.

The important thing for Social Circle was they won it by four wickets, and Chris Barrow was excellent. He claimed 5-30 from 10 overs of spin in Farnworth’s 75 all out. No home batter made it beyond 13. Barrow then steered a chase which had fallen to 34-5 with a composed 32 not out.

Padiham are third with six wins from nine, only a point behind Social Circle. Their latest success came by four wickets chasing 112 away at Salesbury.

Spin-bowling captain Toby Burrows returned 5-24 in Salesbury’s 111 all out before opener Ben Uttley and South African OA Zander Van Tonder top-scored with 24 apiece in a chase which wasn’t realistically threatened despite slipping from 54-0 to 107-6.

Van Tonder early struck twice with the ball as well. 

Read make up the top four in the Premiership having won away at Tonge by six wickets chasing 115. They have five wins from eight and 69 points, nine behind Padiham with a game in hand.

A new-ball four-wicket haul from South African OA Zadian Muller put the skids under Tonge as they were bowled out for 114 before Read’s Sri Lankan professional Sehan Weerasinghe top-scored with 35 not out in a chase briefly threatened at 76-4.

Into the Championship and to where we started with Baxenden, who have 74 points and are just one behind second-placed Atherton having won six games from nine. They have played one more than the team directly above them.

On Saturday, Baxenden were seven-wicket winners at home to Oswaldtwistle, chasing 135. 

Matthew Austin struck four times in bowling Oswaldtwistle out for 134 before opener Charlie Elwood top-scored with a well-paced 41 in a pursuit which was never threatened.

On Sunday, they were 10-wicket winners at home to Cherry Tree, who has posted 220-9 from 45 overs. South African OA Barend Lourens claimed three wickets.

Then in the face of a revised 22-over target, Baxenden racked up 177-0 thanks to local pro and opener Ben Gorton’s superb unbeaten 100 off 67 balls. His opening partner Charlie Elwood also contributed 68 not out off 65. Gorton had also struck once with the ball. 

It was a far from ideal weekend for Cherry Tree because – chasing 181 – they were beaten at home by leaders Eagley on Saturday, by 11 runs.

Eagley’s 180-9 saw Adeel Baig top-score with a middle-order 36 before he took the new ball and claimed four wickets in Cherry Tree’s 169-9.

Eagley’s seventh win from nine leaves them on 87 points, 12 clear of Atherton (75) in second.

On Saturday, Atherton claimed win number five from eight, this one against Ribblesdale Wanderers by 51 runs. Sawan Kankanange was to the fore. 

Atherton’s 176-7 from 45 overs was underpinned by his patient 61 before he claimed four cheap wickets in bowling Ribblesdale out for 125.

There was Sunday cheer for Ribblesdale, however, as they secured a thrilling one-run win away at promotion-chasing Earby, who won one and lost one this weekend. 

Wanderers posted 197-7 from their 45 overs, including top-scorer Mack Spencer with 66. Earby then finished on 196-8 amidst a thrilling finish which rivalled Saturday’s Farnworth v Social Circle as the match of the day.

They fell just short as Ian Britcliffe struck three times. Sri Lankan pro Heshan Dhanushka also had a good day with 48 and two wickets. That was Ribblesdale’s third win in nine, while Earby missed the chance to go second. 

Their mixed weekend had started with victory at Brinscall. They have now won six from nine and are two points off second in fourth.

American pro Utkarsh Srivasta enjoyed a superb day thanks to four wickets with spin in Brinscall’s 102 all out and then four sixes in a well-paced 57 not out in reply.

He shared an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 100 with opener Chris Walton (41 not out).

Completing the weekend’s Championship action was a Sunday clash between hosts Walkden and Brinscall which ended up being abandoned halfway through because of rain.

Walkden were in control having posted 307-9 from their 45 overs. Indian OA Soham Panvalkar top-scored with a middle-order 61, while Brinscall’s Sri Lankan pro Ravindu Rathnayake struck five times.

Five points apiece, Walkden are seventh with two wins from eight and Brinscall eighth with one win from the same number of fixtures.

And finishing off with the Premiership and Saturday wins for mid-table duo Astley Bridge and Kearsley.

Newly-promoted Astley Bridge won for the third time in eight, this one in dominant fashion – by 77 runs – at home to bottom side Lostock.

A rain-affected game was reduced to 37 overs per side, and Bridge totalled what proved an unassailable 232-5 thanks to a superb century from opener Millen Patel, whose 111 off 108 balls included 16 fours and a six. 

Sri Lankan pro Dhanushka Dhamasiri then struck three times with spin as winless Lostock were bowled out for 155 in reply.

Kearsley’s third win in eight came by nine wickets away at Blackrod, who had been bowled out for 115. 

Jack Scott struck four times for Kearsley, whose opener Mohmedruhan Tirmizi then top-scored with a run-a-ball 62 in a routine chase.

*****

Saturday June 13: Premiership – Farnworth Social Circle v Tonge, Kearsley v Farnworth, Little Lever v Blackrod, Lostock v Barnoldswick, Padiham v Astley Bridge, Read v Salesbury. Championship – Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Brinscall, Ribblesdale Wanderers v Baxenden, Walkden v Atherton, Earby v Cherry Tree. 

*****

Walkden are hoping to repeat a similar flow to last season and recover once again from a slow start but this time get the desired outcome – promotion.

Captain Ammad Afzal has been reflecting on an upturn in form, yet one still smattered with frustration, in this season’s Anthony Axford North West Cricket League Championship division.

The seam-bowling skipper’s side have won two of their last four league games to somewhat draw a line under a start which had seen them lose their first four.

Encouragement, yes, frustration, absolutely, because the other two games in that sequence were both rained off with Azfal and co well placed. 

That was particularly so on Sunday – their only league game of the weekend – at home to Brinscall having racked up a first-innings score of 307-9 thanks to a number of key contributions.

The other rainy fixture, away at Earby, was called off with the hosts at 2-1 chasing 197.

“We’re back on a winning streak and hoping for the best now,” said Afzal, whose side sit sixth in the Championship. “It’s good but a bit frustrating because of the Earby  game and Brinscall on Sunday. 

“Promotion is definitely the aim because it’s a long season.”  

Last season, Walkden lost their first eight league fixtures before winning eight of their next nine. Unfortunately, they had left themselves too much to do to make a push for a top-two finish. 

However, having got on a winning run much earlier this time around, things could end up being different in 2026.

“This year, I wasn’t expecting the slow start,” continued Afzal. “I thought it was going to be totally different to last year. But the same thing happened.

“Looking back, we had a few new faces, and it’s taken us a bit of time to gel together. But I can see that we’re ok now. I’m sure we will be fine. We can still make it.”

On Sunday, Indian overseas amateur Soham Panvalkar top-scored with a middle-order 61 off 59 balls, while Wahab Azeem followed him with four sixes in a brutal 55 off 21 as Walkden topped 300. 

Sri Lankan professional Kavindu Amantha was one of three more players to contribute scores in the thirties, his 37 coming alongside Bilal Afzal’s 38 and Mohammad Patel’s 36. 

Brinscall’s own Sri Lankan pro Ravindu Rathnayake claimed 5-71 from 11 overs. 

“The pro we had from the start,” said Afzal. “But Soham, who was at Kearsley last year, missed the first three games. He’s been very good. He has scored four or five fifties so far, including in the T20s. 

“The pro, he’s bowling really well but is yet to hit his top form with the bat.”

And Afzal added: “The thing which we feel is different this year is that there were a lot of one-sided games we were losing at the start of last year. This time, that hasn’t really happened. We felt like we were in those games.”

If Walkden are to taste success this summer, it will almost certainly have to come in the league because they were knocked out in the first round of the Hamer Cup and have lost two of their first three Birtwistle Cup T20 matches.  

They have a key league game at home to second-placed Atherton on Saturday. Atherton currently have 75 points and are 34 clear of Walkden with 12 points for a win. 

*****

Kearsley are the last Anthony Axford North West Cricket League team standing in this season’s Lancashire Knockout Cup after beating Liverpool Competition side Cheshire Lines by 49 runs in Sunday’s second round.

Little Lever and Farnworth Social Circle, who are currently the top two sides in the Premiership division, both suffered defeats.

Little Lever were beaten away at Settle and Farnworth Social likewise away at Rainford. Both of those games were rain-affected.

But Kearsley can now look forward to a quarter-final trip to defending champions Northern, also of the Liverpool Competition, in three weeks’ time on Sunday June 28.

Their Sunday success at Cheshire Lines – of the Liverpool Competition’s third tier – was a hard-fought one, with ball holding sway. 

Captain Andy Gregory’s side elected to bat first and posted 145 all out inside 29 of their 45 overs. And they had to recover from 47-7, with Dhanraj Patel hitting a brilliant 86 off 65 balls with 13 fours and two sixes.

He dominated an eighth-wicket partnership of 79 with Hamidullah Stanikzai (16). Luke Helsby took the new ball for the hosts and returned a wonderful 7-38 from nine overs. 

In their defence, Patel continued his excellent day as the wickets were shared around in Cheshire Lines’ 96 all out. 

He struck twice alongside captain Gregory, Jack Scott, while Obaid Khan took the new ball and returned a brilliant 3-9 from nine overs. 

Kearsley’s next round opponents Northern, of the Liverpool Competition’s Premier League, won at home to Morecambe by 217 runs on the back of their 355-3 total. Opener Liam Gray crashed 184. 

Elsewhere, there were wins for Horwich over Netherfield, Leigh over Vertex, Garstang over Chorley and Royton over Ormskirk.

Little Lever were beaten by ex-NWCL rivals Settle, now of the Northern Pyramid Premier Division.

Settle posted 153-9 from 42 overs, with Curtis Anderton’s spin returning 4-27 from nine. Opener Will Davidson top-scored with 41 for the hosts. 

Little Lever’s target was then revised to 151 from the same number of overs, only for them to be bowled out for 53 and lose by 97 runs. 

Only James Richards with a middle-order 12 made it into double figures, while Harry Snowden returned 4-30 from nine overs having taken the new ball.

Farnworth Social Circle were beaten by 10 wickets at Rainford, of the Liverpool Competition’s Premier League.

Social Circle were bowled out for 112 inside 28 overs, with Jameel Stuart top-scoring with 50 off 58 balls. Jason Login claimed 5-38 from 7.2 overs for the hosts.