LITTLE Lever won the Chadwick Cup with a resounding victory over Darcy Lever Cricket Club A.

The game was in the balance at the midway point, but a dominant second-innings performance saw Little Lever storm to a 160-81 win on Friday.

Arguably the showpiece game in the summer Bolton Rounders League competition was played in damp conditions at Heaton Cricket Club in front of a crowd of more than 200 spectators.

Batting first, Little Lever were mainly limited to ones and twos with the occasional three, but lost two players for zero.

Olivia Hill scored their only rounder before being caught out next ball for nine points by her own mother, Darcy’s Vicky Hill.

Angie Peak was the only Little Lever player to get into double figures and was out at den for 15 and a team total of 55.

Only four of that total came by way of bad balls, which was testament to the quality of play by the Darcy bowlers.

Darcy then took up their bats and, as Little Lever had, they were restricted to mainly ones and twos, although the loss of four batters without scoring was never part of the game plan.

Steady bowling from the Little Lever players saw a fairly level halfway point with two Darcy players scoring into double figures – Lucy Chadwick with 11 and Ash Minion with 12 – and their team putting on a team total of 44 to leave them just 11 points behind their opponents.

The second half saw more steady batting from Little Lever as those surviving the first round of batting were limited to ones and twos.

Three players were lost without scoring but the remaining eight all survived until their fifth bat when two more players were lost, both at first base.

They added a further 105 points to their total, assisted by decent scores from Kirsten Jackson with 18, Helen Roocroft who scored two rounders on her way to 24, and captain Julie Bluer who included a rounder on her way to 20 before being put out at den.

Requiring 117 for victory, Darcy lost two batters in the first round, and in the second, Olivia Hill got her own back on her mum for catching her out in the first innings when as she showed great speed at first base.

Great bowling from Melissa Dargan, Rachel Costello and Bluer saw the steady dismissal of Darcy with Jenny Chadwick scoring their only rounder before being put out next ball as high scorer with eight points.

At the top of Section A, three teams are inseparable, each having beaten one of the other two twice.

Rupert, Darcy Lever and Little Lever are spending this week attempting to decide the outcome.

Last night saw the first of those games between Darcy A and Rupert. Tonight sees Little Lever play Darcy A and tomorrow Rupert meet Little Lever.

In Section F, a play-off was required to separate first and second place between Chorley Ladies and Adlington Ladies which was played last night.

The final week of the season in Section B saw the teams lying second and third, ABC XI and Apollo, play each other.

ABC went into the game two points better off than Apollo but were thwarted by their rivals to set up tonight’s play-off. Also tonight, Westhoughton and Aspull will play-off for second place in Section D.

All play-off games take place at Bolton Cricket Club, Green Lane, Great Lever and start at 6.30pm.