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3 days ago
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Stuart's double ton sends Social Circle to the summit
Farnworth Social Circle are the new Premiership leaders in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League - and they were indebted to record-breaking Jameel Stuart for firing them there on Saturday. Bajan batting all-rounder Stuart hit a remarkable 236 not out off 119 balls as Social Circle beat Atherton by 258 runs at home - his second double-century of the summer represented the highest ever individual score in the three-season history of the NWCL. He crashed 19 sixes and as many fours, underpinning a 45-over total of 376-5 to which Atherton could only respond with 118 all out. New-ball seamer Dave Mather impressed for 6-58. The Bolton side's 11th win in 14 games saw them claim the full 12 points on offer and capitalise on a slip-up by Read, who were beaten at Padiham - only their third reverse of the league season. It now sets up a blockbuster clash between the top two teams at Read on Saturday, the difference between them just a point. Social Circle have 127 points, Read 126. That will be the first of eight remaining games. Padiham's home victory over Read - their eighth in 14 to move up to third in the table on 103 points - was achieved by five wickets chasing 188. South African overseas amateur Zander Van Tonder struck four times to limit Read to 187-9 before opener Ben Uttley's 72 off 66 balls led a stress-free chase, started with a first-wicket stand of 56 with Joe Edgar. The eye-catching result in the Championship saw Astley Bridge captain Syd De Silva claim a superb 'seven-for' to inspire a landslide seven-wicket victory at home to Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, who they bowled out for just 33. De Silva opened the bowling with spin and returned figures of 7-16, supplemented by three wickets for South African overseas amateur Ulli Bronkhorst. Five Oswaldtwistle batters recorded ducks and no one reached double figures, Bridge winning for the eighth time to keep themselves in the promotion mix. Ribblesdale Wanderers strengthened their grip on top spot in the second tier, their 10th win in 16 achieved in impressive fashion - by nine wickets chasing 203 at Baxenden. Seamer Ian Britcliffe's five wickets featured in Baxenden's 202-9 before Australian OA Jordon Kelly's brilliant opening 122no lit up a chase inside 28 overs. He dominated partnerships of 94 and 113 unbroken for the first and second wickets with Hammad Amin and Waqar Rafique. Whalley are just behind Ribblesdale in second place having won their 10th game in 14, this one away at bottom-placed Brinscall by 110 runs defending a 209-target. Ethan Jackson's middle-order 72 was the feature innings in Whalley's 208-9 before pro Levi Wolfenden and Josh Dentith equally shared eight wickets in Brinscall's 98 all out. Ribblesdale sit top with 132 points from 16 games and Whalley second with 127 from 14. Those two occupy the promotion places. Cherry Tree are third on 115 points after 13 games and the aforementioned Astley Bridge fourth on 103 from 14. Cherry Tree beat Earby at home in an engaging low-scoring game which could have gone either way. The hosts won for the ninth time in 2025. This came by 16 runs on the back of a 192-9 total led by pro Mini Bhada's composed 56. In reply, second-bottom Earby were 54-0 and 95-2, only to fall to 176 all out in the penultimate over. Mark Hadfield and captain Andreas Sudnik claimed three wickets apiece. Back in the Premiership, fourth-placed Kearsley - 100 points from 14 games - were six-wicket winners away at champions Blackrod, who crumbled to 84 all out. New-ball seamer Mustafa Bashir claimed five wickets as Kearsley won for the eighth time to continue their productive campaign. Like Oswaldtwistle in that aforementioned Championship fixture, a handful of Blackrod batters posted ducks. South African substitute pro Jacques Snyman top-scored with 32 in reply. Blackrod are part of the mid-table pack hunting down a top-four finish for Lancashire Knockout qualification for next year. Little Lever are fifth with seven wins. They won at Salesbury, who are part of that conversation. Opener Cameron Murray's well-paced 110 off 115 balls underpinned Little Lever's 253-8 before Pakistani professional Muhammad Junaid followed up 49 with five wickets in Salesbury's 197 all out. Sixth-placed Lostock's sixth win was achieved away at bottom-side Eagley, by seven wickets chasing 108. Adam Syddall claimed four wickets having taken the new ball to help bowl Eagley out for 107, before Pakistani pro Akbar Ur Rehman underpinned a routine reply with an unbeaten 59. Blackrod are seventh, Salesbury eighth - both still within striking distance of Kearsley. Farnworth boosted their survival hopes and dented Tonge's chances of top four. They won at Tonge by 77 runs. Win number four puts them on 72 points, 10 clear of second-bottom Atherton and 14 ahead of Eagley. Opener Matthew Hicks top-scored with 62 in Farnworth's 181 all out before striking three times as Tonge were bowled out for 104. Back in the Championship, Walkden dented Barnoldswick's promotion hopes with a five-wicket home win chasing 208. Walkden's fifth win came after captain and new-ball seamer Ammad Afzal claimed five wickets in Barnoldswick's 207 all out before Indian OA Saqlain Haider top-scored in reply with a brisk 69. Barnoldswick are now fifth in the table, 27 points adrift of second-placed Whalley.
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22-07-2025
- Sport
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Stuart century sees Social Circle close gap at the top
A win for chasers Farnworth Social Circle and defeat for leaders Read returned some jeopardy to the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League Premiership title race on Saturday. Star displays from Bajan professional Jameel Stuart with the bat and Lewis Whittle with the new ball - 136 off 106 balls and 6-42 respectively - helped second-placed Social Circle brush aside defending champions Blackrod for a 10th win in 13 games. Stuart scored his third league century of 2025 and became the first man in either division to pass 900 runs this summer, underpinning 247-9 from 44 overs. In reply, Whittle was the chief protagonist in bowling hosts Blackrod out for 162, an 85-run win. Read, meanwhile, lost only their second league game - this at home to mid-table Salesbury, whose sixth win was set up by a more eye-catching century than Stuart's. Salesbury's South African pro Garnett Tarr, batting at number three, crashed 12 sixes in 164 off 104 balls as they posted 263-8 in only 35 overs. Read, who lost their Hamer Cup semi-final to Padiham last Sunday, were set a revised 198-target in 24 overs but slipped to 50-6 and 123 all out. Tarr's outstanding day continued thanks to 5-44 with off-spin. Mid-table Salesbury's sixth win - this by 74 runs - means leaders Read (126 points) and Farnworth SC are separated by only 11 points with nine games left. They play each other a week on Saturday. The majority of rainy Saturday matches were subject to reduced overs. But there was only one game which failed to finish - the battle between two teams at the wrong end of the Championship, Earby at home to Brinscall (7-0 after two overs). Both teams took five points apiece. The Premiership clash between Lostock and Tonge was the only game not reduced. Lostock won by seven wickets chasing 152, their fifth win in 13. However, they remain in ninth place. Mid-table visitors Tonge were bowled out for 151 as new-ball seamer Reece Gray picked up three wickets. Opener Matt Lamb top-scored with a patient 46 in reply. Like the Premiership title race, the Championship promotion battle is fascinating. The top five teams are separated by only 28 points. Ribblesdale Wanderers (119, 15 games) are top but were beaten at second-placed Whalley (115, 13) by three wickets. After limiting Ribblesdale to 117-5 from 26 overs, Whalley chased a revised 128. Despite losing regular wickets, they were always in control. Whalley pro Levi Wolfenden impressed with two wickets and a sharp 50 in win number nine. Mid-table Baxenden put a spanner in the works of third-placed Cherry Tree's (101 points, 12 games) progression, claiming a 33-run win on the road in defence of a 145-target in 29 overs. Baxenden's seventh win in 14 games came despite being bowled out for 144, including Matthew Austin's tail-end 33. Pro Ben Gorton then struck five wickets as Cherry Tree slipped from 59-1 to 111 all out, losing for the fourth time. Barnoldswick (99, 12) kept themselves in the Championship promotion conversation with a landslide eighth win, this one by 148 runs at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel. Openers Abdul and Amir Saddique contributed 75 and 62 respectively - the brothers shared a 104-partnership - to a 210-4 total from 31 overs before the former also claimed five wickets in mid-table Oswaldtwistle's 62 all out. Overseas amateur Deron Greaves, from St Vincent and the Grenadines, also had a good day for Barnoldswick with 50 and four wickets. Fifth-placed Astley Bridge (91 points, 13 games) were winners by 73 runs at Walkden in a 42-over game which saw the visitors post a commanding 249-5 thanks largely to Rick Northrop's fine 97 off 94 balls. In reply, captain Syd De Silva claimed four wickets with spin as Walkden were bowled out for 176. Bridge won for the seventh time this summer. Back in the Premiership, third-placed Padiham's seventh win came by 23 runs at home to Atherton, who dropped into the bottom two as a result. Padiham's 195-5 in 29 overs was led by Callum Clarke's well paced 59 before Atherton, chasing a revised 208 in 26, finished on 184-5. They had been usefully placed at 93-1 in the 14th over, but home captain Toby Burrows spun his way to four wickets. Padiham have 93 points, 22 adrift of second-placed Farnworth Social Circle and 33 behind leaders Read. Farnworth (60 points) leapfrogged Atherton (59 points) out of the bottom two to 10th place. They dented Kearsley's bid for a top-four finish with a 35-run home success, their third win of the summer. Farnworth posted 150-9 from 37 overs, captain and opener Tayler-Jay Heyes top-scoring with a patient 62. In defence, sub pro Anuk Fernando (Rawtenstall) and new-ball partner Yasir Rashid equally shared eight wickets in Kearsley's 115 all out. Farnworth also jumped above Eagley, who fell to bottom of the table despite a thrilling win at mid-table Little Lever, by two runs defending a revised target of 147 in 27 overs. Harvey Seigne's brisk middle-order 52 underpinned Eagley's 146-5 before Little Lever moved to the verge of victory, needing nine to win off the last two overs at 138-5 with Pakistani pro Muhammad Junaid unbeaten on 86. But Junaid fell for 87 to James Richards in the penultimate, and Seigne then defended six off the last over as the hosts finished on 144-7. Eagley won for the fourth time in 13 and have 58 points.