ADLINGTON shocked league- leaders Atherton with a 29-run win at Huyton Road.

The result confirms the battle for the title is now a two-horse race between Atherton and second-placed Flixton, who gained ground on their rivals with a 78-run win at home to Blackrod.

Seventeen points separate first and second place in the table, and, with 13 points for a win, Atherton must avoid defeat again in the four remaining matches to avoid being reeled in.

Adlington scored 131-9 batting first with valuable runs coming from Majid Majeed (38) and Tom Foster (34), the pair putting on 66 for the third wicket before Simon Trim chipped in with 17.

Visiting bowlers Jamar Griffith took 5-70 and Jimmy Damjanovski 4-54, but it was all in vain as the title-chasers were dismissed from 102.

And it could have been worse following a collapse which saw them 56-7 and then 64-8 before Matthew Lilley (20) and Steve Dixon (19) put a veneer of respectability on the score.

It was a good day all round for Adlington for whom Jack Shovelton took 5-30, Majeed 3-45 and Ben King 2-16.

Flixton made hay at Lawrence Road, scoring 260-8 thanks largely to Luke Perry's 105 and Brad Holmes's 50.

Blackrod's reply fell well short on 182, with 122 of those runs coming from professional Tushendre de Zoysa. Flixton bowler Steve Hammond was in devastating form, taking 8-63. Walshaw kept pace with the league-leaders thanks to a nine-wicket success at home to Little Hulton.

The visitors were dismissed for 101, with Roger Kurmah top scoring on 19, as Danny Hornby took 3-31, Gavin Nichol 3-39 and Brandon Williams 2-11.

Hornby and Nichol came back to knock off the winning runs, hitting 58no and 24no, respectively, as Walshaw reached 105-1.

Elsewhere, Elton cruised to a comfortable 74-run win against Daisy Hill at Leigh Lane. Mike Hall hit an unbeaten 75 and Chris Read 38 for the home side, before Daisy were dismissed for 158, Michael Chilton top scoring with 50, backed up by P Atherton's 45. Mark Goddard was the pick of the Elton attack, taking 3-18, while Read took 3-52.

Astley and Tyldesley overcame bottom-of-the-league Golborne by 10 wickets at Meanley Road. Ricky Hussain top scored for the visitors with 48 ahead of Ciaran Vesey's 27, but the day belonged to the A&T bowlers, pro Jimmy Cutt (3-27) and Jordan O’Malley (3-47).

Cutt returned with the bat alongside Michael Brooks and they hit unbeaten scores of 50 and 34, respectively.

Edgworth put Darcy Lever to the sword at Hacken Lane, dismissing the hosts for just 64 after scoring 237-9 in the first innings.

James Edmondson hit 98 for the visiting side before Liam Watkinson (4-21) and Jake Fourie (5-37) got among the wickets.

Bury beat home side Standish by 28 runs after scoring 130. David Bowden took 3-20 and then scored 51 in the Standish reply, but they were all out for 102, Lewis Jarvis taking 3-27.