Farrell’s in seventh heaven for Ainsdale

NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS maintained their promotion push in Division One with a low-scoring two-wicket win over Liverpool.

Afaq Ali Sartaj’s 6/17 had the measure of the visiting batters; when Jared Clein was last out for 51, they’d only mustered 111. Dan Kelly’s 5/49 made a game of it, but Ian Lyon’s unbeaten 47 saw the hosts home.

Martyn Farrell took

7/55 to help set up Ainsdale’s four-wicket win over St Helens Town. Skipper Daniel Roberts top-scored with 52 in

Town’s 171, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the second-placed side.

Lytham played two, won two over the weekend, with Afghan spinner Zia-ur-Rehman to the fore – first his 7/36 ran through Rainford, leaving the batters to make a bit of a meal of chasing 78 for a four-wicket win; then, on Sunday, he took 5/47 to dismiss Liverpool for 118, setting up a six-wicket triumph.

Vishal Kushwah’s 100 wasn’t enough for Colwyn Bay at Birkenhead Park; the Wirral side, for whom Satyajeet Bachhav took 7/68, chased 192 with six wickets to spare thanks to 68 from Michael Barnes and 65* from skipper Tom Foster.

Highfield have now lost five in a row – they couldn’t have come much closer against Northop Hall, but the Welshmen inched over the line by one wicket chasing 139. Kieron New took 7/61 for the visitors, while Madduma Lakmal followed his 52 with 5/36.

Old Xaverians’ 203/7 was too much for Fleetwood Hesketh. Captain Mark Doyle top-scored with 52, before the hosts – for whom Sabbir Patel had taken 5/45 – subsided for 93.