ASTLEY Bridge captain David Cryer described Saturday’s big win against local rivals Heaton as the blueprint for how they should be playing their cricket this summer.

Bridge won comfortably at Sharples Park, by seven wickets chasing only 118, to strengthen their place in the Association division’s promotion picture.

Their third win from four matches in the league so far in 2018 was achieved with a massive 24.5 overs remaining, and Cryer’s men currently sit joint top on 19 points with Little Lever and Adlington, who inflicted their only defeat just over a fortnight ago.

“For a team that can only afford to pay one player, we rely on everyone chipping in with bat and ball,” said the skipper. “Saturday was a good example of how we need to play.

“We’re happy with our start, but frustrated with the game we lost. It was ours to take, and a few Adlington lads batted really well.

“We’re taking it week by week and not trying to focus too much on the end of the season.”

After electing to bat, Heaton reached 28-0 without loss in the seventh over before the game was turned on its head by new-ball pair Cryer and Joseph Ducker, the latter finishing with figures of 4-45 from 12 overs.

Cryer made the breakthrough by bowling Kishan Patel and was miserly in taking 1-25 from 14.

But it was Ducker who was rewarded as he claimed the next four wickets to fall to leave last season’s bottom side in the Premiership reeling at 41-5 early in the 14th over.

“We started off a little loose, with too many wides,” assessed Cryer.

“After I made the breakthrough, Ducker took control and got his four wickets in as many overs, including the massive wicket of their pro (Anwar-ul-Haq lbw for a three-ball duck).

“Two young lads then grafted and batted really well for them before Yasir Rashid, Irfan Puda and our sub pro did the work Ducker and myself couldn’t finish off.”

Rashid and Puda finished with two wickets apiece, while sub pro Aneeq Hassan claimed one as Heaton failed to reach 120 on the way to their third defeat from four outings.

Astley Bridge have been forced to employ Hassan as sub pro from Euxton due to the fact that full-time pro Denuwan Dadallage from Sri Lanka is having visa problems.

“I met him on holiday a week before the season, and we can’t wait for him to turn up,” said Cryer. “But we’re apparently getting an answer on Tuesday.”

Without Dadallage, Chris Lane and Kai Hodgkiss shared 59 for the first wicket inside 12 overs of the chase to all but wrap up victory, posting 35 and 27, respectively.

“They batted really well and took advantage of some loose deliveries,” added the captain, who watched Jack Bentham, a new signing from Chorley, and Rashid finish things off with an unbroken 32 for the fourth wicket following the cheap loss of pro Hassan.