Read and Baxenden took advantage of a frustrating day for leaders Barnoldswick to close the gap at the top of the Ribblesdale League.

With play abandoned without a ball bowled in the scheduled Victory Park clash between Barlick and Ribblesdale Wanderers, attention switched to Whalley Road and Back Lane.

Read's game against Salesbury was reduced to 36 overs per side with the visitors making 163-4.

Professional Susantha Pradeep continued his excellent form with 73 from 86 balls including six fours and five sixes.

Read's paid man Stuart Hornby has also batted consistently well this year and his undefeated innings of 85 saw Read home with two overs to spare.

Hornby hit 14 boundaries in his 85-ball stay at the crease.

Read now trail Barnoldswick by 13 points with Baxenden a further three points in arrears.

The 2009 champions made a winning return to form against Edenfield to claim maximum points and end the return to form of Greg Smithson’s men.

Skipper Andrew Caunce smashed a whirlwind 90 off just 45 balls, including seven sixes and six fours, as Baxenden reached 221-5 from their 32 overs with Mark Rishton’s 47 the other main contribution.

It was a tough day for the Edenfield bowlers with professional Chris Read being hit for 107 from his 16 overs. Read did claim three wickets, while skipper Smithson claimed 1-70 from 10 and Andrew Rushton 1-30.

Edenfield struggled in reply once Paul Gallagher (19) and Smithson (28) had departed and Adam Barnes (16) was the only other man in double figures as Lewis McIntosh claimed 6-47 to bowl the visitors out for 92.

Whalley are a distant fourth after losing at home to Great Harwood in another rain affected game.

Matthew Howarth hit 64 as Great Harwood made 151-4 from their 35 overs and after more rain Whalley were set a revised target of 102 from 20 overs.

Openers Kamran Younas and Richard Lamb failed as they chased an unrealistic target and Lee Kearsley and Mark Fallon also failed to make an impact. Simon Gortin was unbeatn on 37 and Martyn Davies was 34 not out as Whalley closed on 87-4.

Cherry Tree beat reigning champions Clitheroe by three wickets at Chatburn Road.

Cherry skipper Andreas Sudnik claiemd three wickets in four balls as Clitheroe were 130 all out and after more rain his side chased down a revised target of 102 with seven wickets down.

In the only other game to beat the weather Padiham edged out Oswaldtwistle Immanuel by two wickets.

A major mopping-up effort saw the game at The Arbories start at 2.30 with Oswaldtwistle posting 138-8.

Padiham appeared to be coasting towards the victory but had a late wobble and in the end got home.

Barnoldswick v Ribblesdale Wanderers

Match abandoned.

Settle v Earby

Match abandoned.

Clitheroe v Cherry Tree

Clitheroe 130 (T Aziz 53, Siddique 26, A Sudnik 4-22) Cherry Tree 104-7.

Cherry Tree won by three wickets chasing a revised target of 102.

Scorecard not submitted.

Baxenden v Edenfield

Baxenden
Naeem ct Burns b Read 4
D Mills ct Burns b Rushton 14
M Rishton ct Melia b Read 47
D Cronshaw ct Melia b Read 26
L McIntosh ct Read b Smithson 9
A Caunce Not Out 90
B Swindells Not Out 11
Matt Nixon Retired Out 0
Extras 20
Total (5 wickets) 221.

Read 16 0 107 3, A Rushton 6 0 30 1, G Smithson 10 0 70 1.

Edenfield
P Gallagher ct Naeem b McIntosh 19
G Smithson LBW McIntosh 28
Read ct Caunce b Naeem 1
J Lester LBW McIntosh 0
A Barnes ct Rishton b Naeem 16
M Burns st Cronshaw b Naeem 6
C Slinger LBW McIntosh 5
T Melia b McIntosh 4
A Parkins ct Caunce b Naeem 1
A Rushton b McIntosh 2
W Slinger Not Out 1
Extras 9
Total (all out) 92. L McIntosh 14 2 47 6, Naeem 13 3 36 4, Baxenden won by 129 runs.

Padiham v Oswaldtwistle Immanuel

Oswaldtwistle Immanuel
O Jones ct Robinson b Meehan 27
O Clare ct Deakin-Pickard b Meehan 0
Cook-Martin ct Shirtcliffe b Mehmood 52
N Payne ct Robinson b Meehan 20
R Hussain LBW Holt 22
A Kelly run out 2
P Dignan st Robinson b Holt 0
I Abid Not Out 6
K Smithson st Robinson b Holt 1
S Sipocz Not Out 3
Extras 5
Total (8 wickets) 138. S Meehan 12 0 60 3, Holt 18 2 46 3, N Mehmood 7 0 30 1.

Padiham
K Hitchon ct Groom b Jones 24
Holt st Groom b Sipocz 32
N Mehmood ct Jones b Abid 10
J Bushell LBW Jones 3
C Clarke b Jones 0
K Robinson st Groom b Abid 35
P Shirtcliffe ct and b Abid 13
L Anderson Not Out 14
S Meehan b Abid 2
O Deakin-Pickard Not Out 1
Extras 7
Total (8 wickets) 141.

S Sipocz 8 0 42 1, K Smithson 5 0 30 0, I Abid 12.2 4 34 4, O Jones 6 0 33 3. Padiham won by 2 wickets.

Read v Salesbury

Salesbury
I Rabagliati ct Jamal b Harvey 22
Pradeep ct Hornby b Harvey 73
J Watson run out 22
P Blackman Not Out 22
D Chadwick LBW Harvey 0
J Rawson Not Out 10
Extras 14
Total (4 wickets) 163. Hornby 14 2 53 0, E Lowes 6 0 22 0, J Harvey 11 2 42 3, W Driver 5 0 33 0. Read
J Harvey ct Chadwick b Pradeep 0
Hornby Not Out 85
W Driver b Pradeep 7
K O'Connor b Foster 7
J Marshall ct Fenton b Pradeep 12
M Jamal ct Foster b Chadwick 3
A Laycock b Brown 13
A Rushton b Foster 3
E Lowes Not Out 22
Extras 12
Total (7 wickets) 164.

Pradeep 14 0 58 3, E Foster 10 0 45 2, D Chadwick 3 0 19 1, S Brown 7 0 33 1. Read won by 3 wickets.

Whalley v Great Harwood

Great Harwood
M Howarth ct Lamb b Younas 64
Shahabuddin b Gorton 13
J Crabtree LBW O'Neill 12
P Houldsworth Retired 0
A Ullah LBW Younas 31
P Swanney Not Out 11
Extras 20
Total (4 wickets) 151.

Younas 12 2 49 2, D O'Neill 17 2 64 1, S Gorton 6 2 18 1. Whalley
Younas ct Howarth b Shahabuddin 8
R Lamb b Maher 0
M Davies Not Out 34
L Kearsley ct Sardar b Shahabuddin 2
M Fallon b Maher 1
S Gorton Not Out 37
Extras 5
Total (4 wickets) 87. Shahabuddin 10 2 39 2, S Maher 10 3 45 2.

Great Harwood won by 64 runs. Whalley chased a revised target of 102.