TONGE won the top of the table showdown with Kearsley but the title battle looks set to run and run.

That was the view of Tonge's cricket manager Ray Eccleshare as he savoured his side's two wicket win.

"Everybody said that whoever won this game would take the title, but I don't agree with that at all, " he said.

"Obviously it was important we won yet there's virtually half a season left yet and anything can happen in this league."

What Tonge did on Saturday, however, was to bowl out the talented Kearsley batting line-up for a very modest 112. And that came after Kearsley had looked well set at 101-4.

Yet once a productive partnership between Craig Lavelle and David White had been broken Tonge were on their way.

The key was the bowling of professional Iqbal Sikander, who looks to be coming back to full fitness.

"He has had some back trouble which has affected his bowling, " said Eccleshare, "but he has been having regular physio treatment lately and he now seems to be getting back to his best form." Sikander took 5-35 off 21 overs while Ian Taylor had 3-50 and Kevin Kirkpatrick took a wonder catch on the boundary, which meant that in their last two games Tonge have taken 11 wickets for 11 runs in two combined spells of deadly accurate bowling.

Last week they took five wickets for no runs at one point of the game with Farnworth, then on Saturday finally dimissed Kearsley with a 5-11 spell.

That left Tonge needing 113 to win the game but it was never easy going.

Kearsley pro Steve Dublin, who until this game had bowled few overs and never taken more than one wicket in a match this season, had a marathon spell of 24 overs and claimed 5-36.

Carlisle Stewart picked up 3-24 off seven overs and that backed up by some brilliant fielding kept the outcome of the match in doubt.

With Tonge on 86-7 Guy Langmaid and Jon Partington then came together and they swung fortunes by taking the score to 108-7 before Kirkpatrick came in to punch away a winning four.

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