THE Premiership’s bottom side Astley Bridge secured one of the most remarkable wins in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League’s short history as they chased 209 to beat Eagley by two wickets.

But they had to do it from 64-7 in the 25th over.

Rick Northrop and Haaris Akhtar took the headlines with stunning knocks of 88 off 70 balls and 55 not out off 53. They shared an eighth-wicket 137.

When Northrop fell at 201-8, Bridge still had work to do. But captain Matthew Hargraves hit the winning boundary to seal win number two. Eagley spinner Luca Doyle’s brilliant 7-48 from 15 overs went unrewarded.

Blackrod won the battle of the Premiership’s top two, by eight wickets at home to Padiham.

They secured win number 11 from 13 and now lead the league by 22 points from Little Lever, who have jumped into second place with a game in hand.

Blackrod (134 points) bowled Padiham out for 72 thanks to four wickets apiece for pacers Matthew Readey and Joe Speak before unbeaten Sri Lankan pro Navod Paranavithana top-scored in the chase with a measured opening 33.

Defending champions Little Lever (122 points) stayed in touch with a similarly dominant win at home to Lostock, by six wickets chasing 98.

Left-arm spinner Curtis Anderton returned the day’s bowling performance - a superb 7-21 from 15 overs in Lostock’s 97 all out.

Relegation-threatened Lostock couldn’t recover from 2-2 after Anderton had removed openers Matt Lamb and James Evans. Australian pro Sam Fanning then steered the chase with 37.

Anderton is now the 2024 NWCL’s leading wicket-taker in all cricket with 59.

Farnworth (101) dented Salesbury’s title hopes and closed the gap on their fourth-placed hosts to just one point, winning by three runs defending a 156-target.

Win number eight for fifth-placed Farnworth came having been bowled out for 155. Opener Tayler-Jay Heyes top-scored with 46.

In defence, Aussie pro Conor Spinks impressed with 5-40. The new ball seamer claimed three of the last five wickets to fall as Salesbury collapsed from 137-5 to 152 all out.

Sixth-placed Tonge claimed a team hat-trick to seal a thrilling win at Kearsley, by three runs defending a 132-target.

Their eighth win initially saw them bowled out for 131, including South African overseas amateur Justin Gilliland’s 35.

Naveed Gondal took 5-52 for Kearsley, who were then in charge of the chase at 65-2.

But Tonge’s Sri Lankan pro Hashan Dumindu struck four times in all, including two of the last three wickets to fall in as many balls as the hosts fell from 128-7 in the 42nd over to 128 all out in the 43rd.

Shoyab Haji took the winning wicket, that of Gondal for 27.

Another mid-table winner was Farnworth Social Circle, whose seventh success - this by 99 runs - was achieved following a sticky start at home to Ribblesdale Wanderers, whose 11th defeat left them second-bottom.

Social Circle fell to 57-5 batting first, only for captain Chris Lane 36 and Matthew Knight 45 not out to lead an impressive recovery to 168 all out.

In reply, new ball seamer Dave Mather excelled with 6-29 from 13.1 overs in Wanderers’ 69 all out.

Read survived a scare to maintain their Championship promotion push with a four-wicket win at Barnoldswick on Saturday.

Matthew Heap, 6-47 from 14 overs, and Zi Bhada, 50 not out off 38 balls from number seven, were the stars of win number 11 in 12 games - one which saw them chase 153 having been 67-5.

Read (127 points) are now 28 points clear of third-placed Atherton (99), with Walkden second (111). All three teams tasted Saturday success.

Lowly Barnoldswick battled to 152-9. Their substitute professional Kieran Grimshaw then claimed four of the first five Read wickets, but fifty-maker Bhada shared a defining 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Chris Holt (27).

Atherton strengthened their Championship promotion hopes with a one-wicket win at home to Baxenden, chasing 133 for win number seven in 12.

Bajan OA Jamaine Bullen and new ball partner Zeesham Alsam claimed three wickets apiece in Baxenden’s 132 all out before captain Jack Welch’s top order 46 led a helter-skelter chase.

Adam Masood struck five times for Baxenden as regular wickets fell. And when number three Welch was run out, Atherton were 132-9 with scores level. But tail-ender Alsam hit the winning runs.

Second-placed Walkden beat Earby by 83 runs away for win number nine.

Muzammil Nizam top-scored with an unbeaten 70 in Walkden’s 200-6 before adding three wickets in support of pro Mustafa Bashir’s excellent new ball 6-37 from 12 overs in Earby’s 117 all out.

Brinscall won at Whalley by 37 runs, their fifth win in 12 elevating them to fourth place.

Sri Lankan pro Madura Madushanka top-scored with 62, ably supported by South African OA Divon Van Tonder’s 48 not out in 158-8.

In reply, Whalley struggled to 121-6. Madushanka struck three times.

Oswaldtwistle Immanuel’s fourth win was achieved with comfort at Feniscowles, by 76 runs in a rain-affected game which saw the hosts fall short of a revised 180-target at 103-8.

Adil Hussain struck three times for Oswaldtwistle, who started the game by recovering from 3-2 to 204-8 thanks to a fabulous 109 not out in 108 balls from Aussie OA Luke Sirianni.