Greenmount’s first eleven leapfrogged Church & Oswaldtwistle into the Lancashire League Division Two promotion places with a fine seven wicket victory at West End on Sunday.
The home side won the toss and elected to bat but a combination of tight bowling, sharp fielding and some superb catching put them under severe pressure from the start.
The pick of the dismissals was a superb one-handed effort on the boundary by Kieran Edwards off the bowling of Andy McGuinness that sent Church’s Indian professional Sagar Trivedi back to the shed.
Trivedi’s knock of 19 proved to be the best the home side could muster as their first six batsmen were dismissed with the score on only 55.
That their later willow wielders went on to double that total could be said to be something of a minor success but it was never going to be enough against a Greenmount side in a rich vein of form.
The Mount reply didn’t get off to the best of starts when Jack Harrison (7) was adjudged to have been caught behind early in the innings, but after Andy Kerr (8) was dismissed with the score on 36, Chesney Hughes took over with a real professional’s knock, smashing three fours and three sixes as his 43 took the reply on to 82.
From then on, a steady innings of 32 from Tom Heaton saw the lads home with Evan Williams (8) the other not out batsman.
Meanwhile, at the Log Cabin, the seconds enjoyed a 26 run victory against their Church counterparts.
Openers Jake Chadwick and Dan Stevens (both 42) put on 88 for the first wicket to get the ball rolling while there were useful knocks for Brad Edge (26), Ben Hornsby (21) and Sam Greenhalgh (21) as the Mount finished 241 all out in 44.1 overs.
The Church replay fell short despite 63 from Barry Shorrock and 68 from opener Nathaniel Young who batted through the innings.
Both Ryan Edge and Oliver Dixon took two wickets with one apiece for Alex Bullen and Matthew Senior.
On Saturday the third eleven were in action at Todmorden but suffered a 46 run defeat.
Todmorden won the toss and chose to bat then set a total of 192 for 6 with Jack Atherton hitting 76 and Evie Priestley finishing unbeaten on 60.
It proved too much for the thirds who were dismissed for 146 with only Harry Fines (37), Stuart Leach (21), Adam Clarke (19) and Nigel Franklin (16) making it to double figures.