WALKDEN remain top of the Bolton League Premiership after having to work hard for a win at Lostock.

The home side remain third bottom but well clear of the bottom two, Atherton and Daisy Hill.

Horwich are six points behind Walkden in second after they battled to a thrilling home victory over Bradshaw in which pro Brett Pelser scored 101 in their winning reply.

One point behind them are Kearsley who had a fairly comfortable win at Daisy, the result of which, like every game in both divisions, was calculated by the Duckworth/Lewis method due to a heavy downpour during the afternoon.

Farnworth Social Circle and Farnworth are level on points in fourth and fifth places respectively – see the main story on this page for a full report and interview from the winning team manager – after Social took the bragging rights in their away derby clash.

They are both four points behind Kearsley and six ahead of Westhoughton, who marginally edged their game at Atherton whose Adeel Baig scored 89.

Then comes a seven-point gap to seventh-placed Bradshaw and another five to Lostock who are on 16, 10 ahead of Daisy who are two above bottom-placed Atherton.

In the Association division, Tonge ended previous leaders Adlington’s six-match winning league run on their own ground.

That was despite a superb performance by Iain Critchley who took 8-44 off 8.5 overs and scored 44.

The defeat, their first since the opening game of Association season, knocked the home side off the top where they were replaced by an Astley Bridge side who are in excellent form and beat Darcy Lever at home.

Adlington are a point behind, level on points with another in-form side in Little Lever who won at Little Hulton.

There is a six-point gap to Golborne who won at Eagley – see the story at the bottom of this page for a full report and interview with the Golborne captain – and another six-point gap to Tonge who are having their best season for years with four wins and four defeats in their opening eight games.

Five points behind are Little Hulton and three more behind are Blackrod who won at Heaton.

Two more points behind are Darcy Lever on 16 with Heaton on 14 and Eagley 13.

In the Greater Manchester League Premier Division, Egerton are sixth and Edgworth eighth out of 12.

Egerton won at Denton West where Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson took 7-53, while Edgworth lost at home to Prestwich.

In Division One A, Astley and Tyldesley are third bottom after losing away to Denton.