BURY GSOB...3 LITTLE LEVER SC...0 - AN effective, if uninspired display from the Old Boys gave them a comfortable victory over Little Lever, to maintain their title challenge.

Bright sunshine on Saturday morning ensured a playable surface for the game, although it offered little opportunity for flowing football. Bury, with Dave Holland in for the injured Woods, started brightly with the Brown brothers both going close, and Jackson's header clearing the bar from Holland's corner.

They made the breakthrough in the 16th minute in slightly fortuitous fashion as Myers was tackled in the visitors' goal-mouth, only for the ball to spin into the back of the net. There was no doubting the quality of the second goal, secured just two minutes later, when Ian Brown flicked a header into the path of Riggs down the right wing. The Bury striker accelerated into the penalty area before clinically driving his shot beyond the 'keeper, to establish a two-goal lead.

More openings arrived for the home side with brave goalkeeping denying both Myers and Riggs as Bury pinned the visitors back. However, a third didn't arrive and Little Lever enjoyed a brief spell of attacking play before the interval, with Bracegirdle covering across the back line before Crompton's goal could be threatened.

At the start of the second half, Holland was the next Bury player to be denied by positive goalkeeping, and Bury began to frustrate their followers when a number of promising moves ended with a disappointing final pass.

Tarran continued his rich vein of form with another impressive mid-field display to subdue any prompting from his Little Lever counterparts, and the visitors were again restricted to few chances during the second period.

One such opportunity should have brought better reward and then Deakin's timely tackle ensured another clean sheet for Paul Crompton.

Riggs finally wrapped up the game four minutes from time as he cut through the left flank before working a shooting angle for another excellent finish.

The victory moved the Bury side to within three points of Radcliffe, who lost at Boltonians, with Rossendale also closing fast on the Old Boys, as the title race enters an interesting and entertaining phase.

Phil Butterworth's two goals proved to be insufficient as Bury's second team went down 4-2 to local rivals, Walshaw, in the club's only other game of the day.