Championship leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers were indebted to the exploits of Sri Lankan professional Heshan Dhanushka as he starred with bat but mainly ball during a double winning weekend in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League.
Ribblesdale won at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel on Saturday and beat Baxenden at home on Sunday, sitting on 107 points with eight wins from 12 games.
That they are now 17 points clear of second-placed Whalley is largely thanks to Dhanushka.
On Sunday, they bowled Baxenden out for 94, with Dhanushka’s off-spin accounting for 8-43 from 15 overs – the summer’s best bowling return by anyone in the top two divisions of the NWCL.
He then top-scored with 50 in a successful reply, achieved for the loss of four wickets.
On Saturday, he claimed 5-2 from 3.4 overs against Oswaldtwistle, including three wickets in four balls, to bowl the hosts out for 93. Again, in response, he top-scored with 39 and fashioned a recovery from 16-3 to seal a four-wicket triumph.
Premiership leaders Read recovered from last week’s first defeat to win a nervy clash at bottom-side Lostock by two wickets.
The summer’s 10th round brought Read their ninth win, surviving a regular loss of wickets in a pursuit of 153. Opener and captain Will Wrathall top-scored with 30.
Lostock had been limited to 152-9 in 45 overs. Chris Holt starred for Read with 6-31 from 13 overs. He then contributed 18 to the chase, sharing 46 for the first wicket with Wrathall.
Read, who claimed 10 points, are sat on 102 from 10 games, 12 clear of second-placed Farnworth Social Circle (90).
Social Circle’s Bajan professional Jameel Stuart amassed a sensational unbeaten 202 from 126 balls with 18 sixes in 352-5 at home to shellshocked Padiham, leading a recovery from 41-4.
Stuart’s assault from number four saw 152 runs scored in fours and sixes and represented the first first-team double century in the three-year history of the NWCL, with Padiham later 229 all out.
Dave Mather returned five wickets and Stuart 4-20 from 5.4 overs to help FSC claim the full 12 points with a 123-run success.
The Championship’s bottom side Walkden were on the right side of the London Bus Syndrome – you wait ages for one and then two come along at once.
Having lost their first eight matches of the season, they have won their last two. They jumped off the bottom courtesy of an impressive win at promotion-chasing Cherry Tree, by two wickets chasing 194.
Indian overseas amateur Haider Saqlain was their hero with 6-52 from 14 overs in Cherry Tree’s 193-9 and a top-score of 44 from number three in reply. However, a 63-run partnership, from 115-6, between Mirza Suhail and Salman Younis proved key for Walkden.
Cherry Tree dropped out of the top two promotion places in the second tier, replaced by Whalley, who claimed an eye-catching come-from-behind win at Earby having been bowled out for 90.
Their seventh win in 10 was achieved by 35 runs in a contest which saw only one batter make it beyond 20.
Whalley pro Levi Wolfenden starred with 7-36 from 12 overs as Earby were bowled out for 55, including Matthew Nutter’s 24 not out.
Wolfenden had top-scored in Whalley’s 90 with 15 though was one of five wickets for South African OA Jared Bone. Unfortunately for Bone and Earby, it meant little.
Whalley may be 17 points adrift of Ribblesdale but have two games in hand.
Back in the Premiership, Little Lever claimed a sixth league win of 2025, by eight wickets at home against Farnworth as they impressively reeled in a target of 216 and now sit third on 79 points.
Adil Nisar claimed three wickets in Farnworth’s 215-8 before opener Cameron Murray and Pakistani professional Mohammad Junaid were in aggressive mood in sharing an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 147 to seal a home win. The pair hit five sixes each, Murray 88 off 67 balls and Junaid 79 off 47.
Champions Blackrod (75 points) secured their sixth win, by 18 runs at Eagley, who were bowled out for 161 in reply to 179-5.
Thushendra De Zoysa top-scored for Blackrod with 59 before Bajan OA Renaldo Holder took the new ball and struck five times.
Kearsley also won for the sixth time, this one by 55 runs at home to Salesbury, who were bowled out for 100 in reply to the home side’s 155 all out.
Indian pro Ajay Rohera opened and top-scored with 47 before new ball duo Irfan Kareem and Mustafa Bashir shared nine wickets to leave Salesbury well short. Kareem claimed five of those.
In mid-table, Padiham are fifth, Kearsley sixth – both on 70 points – and Tonge seventh, just a point behind.
Tonge’s fifth win was achieved by nine wickets at home to Atherton, successfully replying to the visitors’ 127 all out thanks to an unbeaten 71 from South African OA Justin Gilliland. He shared a first-wicket 127 with Alex Rodzoch (49).
Earlier, Tonge captain Connor Lord and Hasib Patel struck four times apiece with the ball.
Barnoldswick are into the top four in the Championship thanks to their sixth win in nine, by four wickets chasing 149 at Brinscall.
Wasique Ali stood out with five wickets in bowling Brinscall out for 148 before Australian pro Trent Riddell top-scored with 44 in a reply only briefly threatened at 5-1.
Baxenden have a won five, lost six record from their 11 games. They beat Astley Bridge at home by five wickets on Saturday in a strong reply to 207 all out.
Matthew Austin took the new ball and returned four wickets for Baxenden, who were then indebted to Harris Masood’s measured 60 not out from number four in reply. Pro Ben Gorton had also opened with 48.
Jameel Stuart scored a stunning unbeaten 202 off 126 balls for Farnworth Social Circle against Padiham to keep themselves in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s Premiership title hunt on Saturday and did his best to support local businesses along the way.
“He hit 18 sixes. It was incredible!” said Social Circle captain Chris Walsh. “I think Padiham lost 15 balls.”
It begged the question from this intrepid reporter, ‘Who pays for those?’
Walsh came quickly back: “The question you want to be asking is, ‘Who pays for our roof tiles?’
Calling all roofers, then, to Piggott Park, Farnworth.
Seriously, though, Bajan professional Stuart was in sensational touch as he recovered second-placed Social Circle from 41-4 to 352-5 from their 45 overs against a Padiham side who were third before a ball was bowled but dropped to fifth upon being bowled out for 229 in reply.
Stuart posted the maiden first-team double hundred by any batter in the three-year history of the NWCL.
“I’ve seen some professionals hit a big ball in my time, but not as big as that,” continued Walsh.
“I don’t remember, going back 25 years, a Bolton League double hundred. I remember a couple of 190s, but I don’t remember anyone getting 200. So it’s a pretty special achievement.
“It was the best innings I’ve ever seen by any cricketer. To be here live to watch it, it was incredible.”
Stuart, who in all hit 152 of his runs in fours and sixes, shared 199 for the fifth wicket with David Tonge (68) and 112 unbroken for the sixth with Chris Barrow (31 not out).
Stuart then took four wickets with his spin to supplement new-ball seamer Dave Mather’s 5-83 from 15 overs. Padiham’s 229 total would have won many a game in the NWCL, but not this one. They lost by 123 runs and dropped down to fifth.
Social Circle, though, consolidated their position in second thanks to an eighth win in 10 games, and they are now only 12 points behind leaders Read with as many fixtures remaining.
Walsh continued: “Tongey’s got 60-odd, Chris (Barrow) 30-odd – he’s had a couple of fifties already this season. The young lads are finding their feet around these senior guys.
“We all have to contribute to make sure we’re not just relying on Jameel. When he has days like he’s just had, he’s rightly centre of attention. But, generally, we have to make sure as a team we’re all performing.
“We’re second, and a win behind Read. Had I been offered that at the start of the season, I’d have taken it. We’re probably punching a little bit above our weight, but you just go to the next game.”
That next game is a blockbuster home clash with cross-town rivals Farnworth on Saturday.
For Stuart, this was a day he will not forget in a hurry. But he has had plenty of standout performances in his time at Social Circle.
“In my opinion, he’s the best pro in the North West by far – not just in this league,” said Walsh.
“He sub-pro’d for Roe Green last week, got 150 and was getting a bit of gyp, ‘You’re only playing in a fish and chip league’.
“But I think people need to show a bit more respect for our league and to a player who plays like that, because he’s sensational. He really is.”
Stuart took Durham’s Boltonian spinner Callum Parkinson apart earlier in the summer whilst on sub pro duty at Edgworth. He hit the lion’s share of 34 runs off one over from the left-armer.
Jonny Bairstow and David Willey are amongst Parkinson’s recent victims for Durham in the Vitality Blast.
“He’s a first-class cricketer with some good numbers behind him,” said Walsh. “But Jameel just plays his way. He doesn’t play the name, he plays the ball.
“The big thing now is trying to retain his services for next year.
“I know he’s had offers unofficially from some clubs even though you’re not supposed to make offers officially until next month.
“Look, he’s happy here. We’ve had conversations, and there’s a few things to be worked through. Nothing’s done.
“We don’t have the deep pockets which some do, so that will be a factor.
“But he’s much more invested with us than just turning up and playing on a Saturday. He’s fantastic with the juniors on a Friday night, he runs the Under 15s, his Academy was founded from here in one sense.
