GREENMOUNT took an impressive step towards a last-ditch championship tussle with Tonge and Horwich after achieving a five wicket victory over fellow contenders Walkden.

That was Greenmount's ninth win from their last 11 games, a run that has seen them come up on the rails to rob their opponents of third place with 284 points while leaders Tonge have 315 and Horwich 300.

Walkden did not do too much wrong, certainly not with their batting, hitting 161-4 with Mike Bennison 65 not out and Douglas Watson 53, but the match turned with Mark Stewart's innings for Greenmount.

He hit a boundary-filled 42 that took his side to their winning total and there were useful contributions from Mark Fallon 38, and John Sharples 34 not out.

When the season's honours are finally decided, Horwich may look back on their game against Astley Bridge as the one that got away.

Grant Long's men have missed little this season and are still very much in the championship shake-up but they will be frustrated by Saturday's lost opportunity.

After an impressive batting show which took them to 203-7, David White 93 and Jon Partington 53, they had Bridge on the rack at 132-9 and steaming to victory. Unfortunately Bridgee last pair Anthony Clegg and Matthew Cuff did not see it that way and managed to survive nearly ten overs to claim the draw.

Tonge faced a similar problem at Farnworth Social Circle but after a dozen overs bowling at the last pair, managed to claim a 16 runs win to stretch their lead at the top.

Half centuries from Simon Anderton and Mick Martin helped Tonge to a testing 207-7 before a six wicket haul from Ian Taylor had Tonge heading for an easy win.

Yet home pro Rashid and tailender Andrew Ogden came together to provide some stubborn resistance and enable the pro to reach his century before Tonge claimed the deciding wicket.

Of the bowling, Nick Woods had 3-39, White 3-40 while earlier William Halton finished with 4-56 for Bridge.

Eagley's run of defeats stretched to nine after going down by three wickets to Kearsley.

Yet there were some encouraging signs for them in the game, notably the batting of the Shuttleworth brothers, David and James, who helped rescue an 89-5 total to take it to a more respectable 157-7 and the bowling of Steve Foster, whose switch from medium pace to slow left arm brought him 5-65 and left Kearsley a little worried at 136-7.

Yet Kearsley had their own hero in opener Jordan Thornley, who hit a fine 80 not out in a chanceless innings.

Heaton romped to an impressive eight wicket win after their bowlers had decimated Westhoughton. Jonathan Fearick had the first three back in the pavilion without a run on the board. Ian Pilkington, however, managed to bat through all the mayhem that was the Westhoughton innings and it was his contribution of 66 that helped his side stagger to 114.

Heaton's batsmen did not suffer the same perils easing their way to 115-2, Gareth Carson 44 not out and Vishel Tripathi 24.

Little Lever and Egeerton fought out an exciting draw with only six runs separating the sides at the finish. Gary Garner's 87 and Karl Bates 44 helped Egerton to 200-5 before Little Lever responded with 194-6, their victory bid only disappearing when De Silva was out for 92 after a productive partnership with Anthony Hilton 34.

Farnworth hit their top score of the season 181-5 and after reducing Bradshaw to 130-6 harboured hopes of a first victory.

Unfortunately for them, David Morris was still at the wicket and not only did he go on to win the game for his side he also completed a personal milestone with the winning boundary taking him to 10,000 career runs in the Bolton League.

Up to then the game had been highlighted by an unbeaten innings of 115 from Farnworth pro who tamed the home bowlers with nine sixes, only for Morris to spoil the party with an unbeaten 80.