ELTON landed one hand onto the Bolton Association championship last Saturday as they pulverised a struggling Blackrod outfit.

Elton elected to field first and soon had the Horwich side on the ropes at 7-2.

Without their pro, Will Halton, who suffered an unfortunate accident with his chip-pan, Blackrod found it difficult to stretch the league leaders. Despite this, Smith batted doggedly weighing in with a well earned 41.

However, apart from Walsh who returned a useful 28, the rest of the Blackrod batting order failed to impress.

The wickets were pretty evenly spread.

Peter Kay, although wicketless, went for just nine runs in his opening spell.

Darron Foy, Dexter Fitton and Stephen Filkins picked up the bulk of the six wickets, and combined as a unit they proved to be very difficult to get away.

Eventually, Blackrod managed to reach 120-6 at the tea interval, and one could imagine that the Elton spread tasted much sweeter than their counterparts'.

In reply, Elton chased Blackrod's total strongly.

The innings was predictably built around Chris Read's knock of 44, which contained several severe blows to the boundary.

Read was accompanied by Dexter Fitton who provided the coup de gras with an unbeaten 29.

It wasn't his usual flowing knock but it finished the job, and completed a confident Elton chase for only three wickets down on an indifferent track.

The hunt for the title has been reduced to a two horse race as Atherton were surprisingly beaten by Chorley side Adlington.

Darcy Lever remain twenty two points adrift, and if Elton win both of their games this weekend, they will receive their first ever Bolton Association Championship.

Meanwhile, WALSHAW moved to within two points of third-placed Atherton after a resounding win at Daisy Hill.

The Sycamore Road side were indebted to fine knocks from Tony Kelly (54) and Bret Collins (66) after racking up an imposing 186-5 in their 45 overs on a damp and tricky pitch.

The visitors were never in the hunt and only a classy 43 from professional Arothe saw his side past the hundred mark.

Jon Fielding (4-59) and Liam Riley (5-20) were the chief destroyers.