FARNWORTH Social circle moved back to the top of the Bolton Cricket League following their five-wicket win against the team they displaced, Westhoughton.

Batting first, Matty Morris contributed 116 and Marlon Welcome Goodman 72 to Westhoughton’s 292-9, with Jameel Stuart taking 3-90.

Stuart then smashed 114 from 67 deliveries, including nine fours and eight sixes, putting on 170 with Ryan Ayres (75).

Chris Barrow led the team to victory with his own mini-onslaught, taking just 11 balls for his 25 runs. Morris followed up his century with 4-81.

Horwich are in third place after winning by 53 runs against fourth-placed Lostock.

Tom Billington scored 126 and James Enslin 76 in a first-wicket partnership of 161, Horwich ending the innings on 270-6 with James Evans taking 3-87.

Lostock began well reaching 72-1, but with Lewis Haydock taking 4-47, wickets were falling at regular intervals, and eventually Lostock hung on for a bonus point with nine wickets down.

Shivan Perera was top scorer with 40 in Astley Bridge’s 188, Nathan Mayor taking 3-24 for Blackrod. Tush De Zoysa hit 75 in Blackrod’s five-wicket win, Zak Burton ending on 41 not out.

Will Shuttleworth’s 48 helped take Eagley to 102-3 but that was pretty much as good as it got with the last seven wickets falling for 23 runs, Geeth Kamara taking 4-40 and James Fox 3-35.

Kamara then finished 34no as Farnworth won by five wickets, despite Josh Fallows’ 3-20.

Ben Chapman took 6-38 to dismiss Atherton for 72, then Yashoda Lanka hit an unbeaten half-century in Kearsley’s eight-wicket victory.

Shan Ali’s 69 was the major contribution in Little Hulton’s 158, Abdullah Ishaq taking 4-22 for Tonge and Connor Lord 3-35. Tonge were in danger of defeat at 79-5 but won the match with the loss of just one further wicket, Adil Jamal taking 4-67.

Once again Little Lever won with the last pair at the crease.

Oliver Gaskell recorded a half-century in Walkden’s 174, with Curtis Anderton taking 5-51 and Andy Flear 3-43. Nipun Gaikwad steered Little Lever to 113-2, but seven wickets fell for 35 runs leaving the last men to score the remaining 27.

Coincidentally, Social Circle and Westhoughton clashed again in the Hamer Cup on Sunday.

Circle batted first and struck 329-6 from their 45 overs, Jameel Stuart again hit 114, this time from 57 deliveries including 10 sixes. Earlier in the innings, Elliot Coleclough made 66.

Following a spell of rain at tea, Westhoughton were set a revised target of 272 from 32 overs, which they managed with almost three overs to spare thanks to Agha Salman’s 116 from 70, and 75 runs from Matty Morris.

Farnworth were well set at 144-3 with Joe Settle (52) and Charlana De Silva (43) against Astley Bridge, but lost their last seven wickets for 16 runs as Lesiba Ngoepe took 5-62 and Haaris Akhtar 3-25.

Bridge lost two early wickets but raced to victory in 20 overs with Ngoepe falling just one short of his century at a rate of more than two runs per delivery.

Akbar uh Rehman hit an unbeaten 123 in Lostock’s 239-5, but Adnan Mufti took Walkden to victory with 71 as they chased a reduced target of 160.

There was a century for James Enslin, 91 for Jack Berry and a half-century for Marcus Haydock, but their efforts for Horwich against Kearsley were in vain as the rain which began at the tea interval caused the match to be abandoned.