REIGNING champions BACUP managed to sneak home by just ten runs as they beat HASLINGDEN at Lanehead.

The home side's captain Neal Wilkinson proved to be the hero with a stunning spell of five wickets for 52 in a game where the balance had swung both ways.

Bacup realised 188-9 from an innings where opener Peter Thompson set the tone with a half century.

However, it had not been plain sailing for Bacup as they had lost professional Shaun Young for a duck to a first ball dismissal by Steve Dearden.

Dearden was to end with figures of 3-72 as he gave strong support to Bacup's main tormentor off-spinner Stuart Catterall, who took 5-45.

The reply saw Young and David Ormerod looking dangerous with the ball in the early stages.

However, Haslingden's substitute professional Keith Semple notched a useful 42 and Dearden then scored a fine 79 - the pair putting on 82 for the third wicket.

Just as the game looked to be swinging back Haslingden's way Bacup skipper Wilkinson took over on the bowling frontand dismissed Semple and Paul Blackledge in the same over.

Wilkinson finished with 5-52 and Young helped to wrapup victory taking late victims as he realised figures of 4-98 from his 25 over spell.