ATHERTON CC kept plugging away in what now seems an increasingly vain attempt to win the Redmayne Bentley Bolton Association league title.

On Saturday they struggled to a narrow victory against Daisy Hill at Higham Park while on Sunday they had an equally narrow win at Darcy Lever.

Against Daisy Hill, Steve Walsh won a rare toss and asked Daisy Hill to bat. They lost professional Chris Jones, run out in the second over, before setting out on a painstaking accumulation of runs.

Phil Kirkman and Howard Brooks took the game to the half way stage but the score was only on 48. Craig Dimery, who had opened the bowling with Ian Nuttall and found that the conditions suited his quickish off-spin. After two no balls in his first over, he reeled off six consecutive maidens.

Dimery bowled throughout the Daisy Hill innings to finish with 4-32 from 24 overs. He was well supported by Dave Charlson who had 3-52 from 18 overs.

The visitors finished on 115-8, Kirkman top scoring with 38 while Brooks and Alan Clarke made 18 apiece.

The home side, looking for an early finish, opened with Rob Clews and Phil Wakefield but soon found that batting would as difficult for them as it had been for Daisy Hill.

Five victims

The first wicket to fall was that of Clews with the with the score on 14. Wakefield and Dimery put on 34 before Dimery became the first of Chris Jones' five victims.

Wakefield grafted for 23 from 75 balls and Charlson added 22 but when the seventh wicket went down on 97, the match could have gone either way.

However, 20-year-old Mathew Lilley, drafted in from the second team, held firm in his first senior match of the season to see his team home.

Sunday saw Atherton fielding first again. Dimery and Nuttall opened the bowling and it was Nuttall who made the early breakthrough. Darcy Lever took the score to 49 without further loss before Dimery stuck to remove Gary Harper for 23. He went on to take a further five wickets to finish with 6-48 from 18 overs, including two brilliantly caught and bowled victims. The remaining three wickets fell to Steve Walsh for 18 off 10 overs as the home side folded to 92 all out.

Atherton's innings was also soon in free-fall and at 35-5, with Dimery and West both out, they looked in danger of failing to reach the modest target.

Clews and Paul Brown decided that attack was the best way out and although both perished for 23 and 25 respectively, they had taken Atherton to within striking distance of victory.

This weekend the curtain comes down on the season when Atherton entertain A&T, wickets pitched 1pm.