Preston stole a march on second-placed Chorley as they defied thunderstorms to beat Darwen in the Northern League on Saturday.
Preston’s dramatic three-wicket win over Darwen at West Cliff saw them make up ground as Chorley’s first against second showdown with St Annes at Vernon Road was rained off.
Darwen struggled to 118 with John Cordingley top scoring with 27 from 60 balls on a tough day for batsmen.
None of the top order looked comfortable as Lukman Vahaluwala claimed 4- 43 and skipper Bilal Asad 2-5, while David Fisher took two for 12 with his off-spin.
Rain then stopped play until 5.46pm and Preston needed 119 to win in 27 overs.
They lost their first three wickets for 13 but Adam Parker batted superbly to make 49 off 45 balls, while Vahaluwala weighed in with three boundaries in his 25 before he was run out.
In the end, Preston got home with just three balls left.
Promising teenager Yakub Bhamji took 3-26 for Darwen and Gareth Cordingley weighed in with the wickets of Parker and Asad.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here