WALKDEN skipper Jonathan Fowler says Saturday’s nail-biting win against fellow title challengers Farnworth Social Circle was a monkey-off-the-back moment.

Fowler's team secured a four-wicket win, chasing 173 with 2.1 overs remaining at Piggott Park.

But scratch the surface and you will understand why the captain describes it as “a great advert for Bolton League cricket”.

A topsy-turvy clash saw the visitors take control by reducing Social Circle to 42-6 inside 13 overs having elected to bowl. Then, Chris Barrow changed things with a typically brutal unbeaten 99.

He hit 10 fours and seven sixes in 45 balls to underpin a total of 172, with new-ball quick bowler Tahir Maqsood and overseas amateur Nick Stobart, also a seamer who last month claimed a hat-trick with his first three balls for the club, taking four wickets apiece.

In reply, Walkden fell to 60-5 inside 21 overs. Ryan Ayres took all five with the new ball and finished with a superb 6-52 from 18.

But, unfortunately for him, young New Zealander Stobart was to the fore again with a measured 62 not out, sharing crucial half-century stands for the sixth and seventh wickets with Syed Aslam, who made 26, and skipper Fowler. He finished unbeaten on 23.

The South African skipper, who has been living in the UK for the last three years, said: “I’ve played a few seasons at Walkden and have had the sour taste of losing against Social Circle quite a bit. So it’s very nice to have been able to get us over the line.

“It was a very good one for me.”

Walkden are now second with four wins from five and 27 points, just one behind defending champions and leaders Farnworth.

“We spoke about it at the start of the season. All we wanted to do was challenge for every trophy we could, and it’s so far, so good. But there is such a long way to go yet,” said Fowler, who praised both Barrow and Stobart for their individual contributions.

“Chris Barrow is unreal. If it wasn’t for him, it would have been a very different game.

“Our bowlers bowled really well until he came in. We took the foot off the gas a bit and he batted on a different wicket if I’m honest. He played some phenomenal shots.

“If you’d have told me we’d be chasing 170 at the start of the game, I would have taken it. But we were in trouble until we had a couple of useful partnerships at the end to get us over the line.

“That’s the kind of thing we need for the rest of the season.

“It’s Nick’s first season in the UK. He’s from New Zealand and is in his early 20s. He’s enjoying the team spirit, and he’s shining.

“The way he’s been batting, I was always very confident we could get the runs even though we lost a few (wickets). And we have a lot more depth in our batting.

“We’ve always been a good bowling unit, but we’ve struggled over the last couple of years with our batting. We bat all the way down now.”