Nine out of nine for super Sutton

early wickets, but Brendan Domigan and Chris Andrews took the game away from Sefton by adding over 120 between them.

“In the end, we seemed to cruise to victory and we only lost five wickets after a fairly good performance with the bat.”

On Saturday, Burscough return to league action when they take on Hightown.

Stone revealed several of Burscough’s former players are now at Hightown and he believes his squad have all the necessary qualities to come away with another victory.

They will be without a few key players but Stone has urged his team to set their sights on getting 20 points from the match.

“We need to take the same intensity and effort into this Saturday’s game because we should get another victory,” said Stone.

“We have a few missing this week due to holidays and that is obviously a bit of a disappointment but we will still have a strong team.

“I am expecting a strong enough performance to beat Hightown because I know we are more than capable of dominating the game.

“A few lads that used to play for us are now playing for Hightown too so we know what to expect from them.

“Hopefully we can come away with another 20 points and have another good week!”

MANY have tried, and Birkenhead St Mary’s came closer than most – but they couldn’t stop Sutton making it nine wins out of nine at the top of the Southport and District Cricket League Premier Division.

In truth, St Mary’s total of 129/7 from their 45 overs – anchored by 39 from Dane Bryan – was never likely to be quite enough. But despite 54 from Adam Onion, the Sutton top order misfired – and when Onion was fifth out, with the score at 95, the visitors had a sniff of a chance.

But despite Mike Bowe’s 3/35, the leaders inched home with three wickets to spare.

The closest clash of the day was at Halsall West End, where the hosts edged out Cheshire Lines by just two runs.

Halewood’s Lines would have been happy to skittle their hosts to 100, with Ian Jones’ 35 the top score. But Mike Finch (3/35) ran through the visitors’ top order to leave them 26/5 and despite 41 from Luke Helsby, the chase came up short. Graham Humphries, who had taken 4/34 for Lines, deserved better than to be the last wicket to fall – caught off Ben Davis by Halsall’s number 11 Pankaj Negi, whose 10 crucial runs earlier in the day made all the difference.

Another low-scoring game, at bottom club Aigburth, was less of a nail-biter. Secondplaced Norley Hall ran through their hosts for just 52, with Denis Hughes taking 4/17, then knocked off the runs for the loss of two wickets.

n a day the top five all won, Haydock stay third thanks to their four-wicket victory over Hesketh Bank. Paul Barton (76) and Daniel Kirk (59*) helped Bank set an impressive 232/8, but openers Stephen Gornall (51) and Harry Cross (73) set Haydock on their way and they wrapped up the win with four and a half overs to spare.

Mossley Hill asked fourth-placed New Victoria to bat, which they did to great effect – Barry Mills’ 78 the highest of four 40-plus scores in their 261/9. Michael Sutcliffe’s 5/42 was the highlight for the hosts, who succumbed for just 77 in reply. Mike Houghton’s 111 set up a big win for Newburgh over Goose Green, who never got close to their hosts’ 240/8 and were bowled out for 127.

In the Second Division, Birkenhead St Mary’s 2nds closed the gap on leaders Merseyside Commonwealth Conference to just four points with a seven-wicket win over Sutton 2nds. Nawab Khan took 4/28 as Sutton were bowled out for 135, before Hussain Dar’s unbeaten 60 saw St Mary’s home.

Commonwealth suffered a rare defeat at Winstanley Park, where Patrick Finch snapped up three top-order wickets for 12 as the visitors were bowled out for 98. John Fillingham’s 52 made short work of the chase, completed with seven wickets to spare.

Churchtown’s winning total of 175 at Cheshire Lines 2nds was a team effort – five batsmen scored between 23 and 35. But Mike Watson was happy to steal the limelight, taking 5/21 as Lines fell 64 runs short.

Moss Side Maghull were docked 10 points after they conceded their trip to Whitefield, and New Victoria 2nds took advantage, overtaking them at the bottom of the table with a tight win over Dalton.

Defending a total of 155 all out, Vics’ Sam Knight took 4/53 as Dalton fell 22 runs short.

Adam Waterhouse’s unbeaten 45 anchored Aughton’s 173/7 at Bretherton, who could only manage 95 in reply.

Third division leaders Earlestown put in the performance of the day, a 316-run demolition of Winstanley Park 2nds. Captain Karl Allan scored 130 and his opening partner Eddie Platt 166 not out as the hosts racked up an unassailable 355/5 at Viaduct Green. Park’s reply was a lost cause and they succumbed for 39 after an exhausting few hours in the field.

Mathew Wood’s lone hand helped Norley Hall 2nds defeat Aigburth 2nds, whose early season form has tailed off. Wood’s 125 included 17 fours, five sixes and a fair few singles off the last ball of the over – by the time he was fourth out, one of five victims for Mark Turner, the team score was just 153. Their eventual 190 all out was enough though, as Keiron Ashcroft’s 4/34 helped bowl out Aigburth for 162.

Mossley Hill 2nds chased down Bedford Park’s 161/8 in the last over of the game, with just two wickets to spare. Zeeshan Durrani’s 43 steadied the ship for Mossley Hill after a shaky start, and Sam Newton’s unbeaten 35 clinched the points.

Eight-man Goose Green 2nds put up a fight at home to Newburgh 2nds as Mark Prescott’s 91 lifted them to 142/5. But Thomas O’Connor’s unbeaten 67 saw Newburgh home by six wickets.

Tight bowling from Halsall West End 2nds – Paul Moreton took 3/13 – restricted Dalton 2nds to 90/9 off their 45 overs, which the visitors overhauled with five wickets to spare, despite Syed Shah’s 3/17.

And the result was the same at Hesketh Bank 2nds, where Whitefield 2nds’ Thomas Rigby took 4/18 as the hosts were dismissed for 94. Jonathan Marquis took 3/24 to cause a few jitters. but Mark Green’s 35 helped settle any nerves.