EAGLEY were thankful for the rain as they booked their place in next season's Lancashire Knockout Cup competition.

Their game at Egerton decided which of the two teams would fill the final available place for Bolton League clubs and at the halfway stage the home side looked to have the advantage.

That was after Egerton had posted a total of 229-9 with Rick Northrop out off the last ball of the innings for 99, and Mark Price 56, and Eagley were perhaps relieved that the rain prevented them from attempting to reach such a testing target.

That left both sides with 10 points each, which guaranteed Eagley their knockout place. Egerton's hopes were further dashed the following day when Westhoughton lost in the Lancashire Knockout final, thereby failing to gain the league an extra place in next year's competition.

Tonge were going well when they had Heaton reeling at 36-6, with Adam Street taking 5-17 off six overs. Yet the 17-year-old bowler then had to retire when the rules on teenage bowlers restricted him to spells of six overs. Heaton took advantage to take their total to 172, helped mainly by Ian Bradshaw's unbeaten 65. Tonge were 39-0 when the match was called off.

Another unlucky bowler was Greenmount's Mark Stewart, who finished the season one short of 100 wickets. He took 3-63 against Farnworth SC, who were dismissed for 158, with Ian Murray 41. In reply Greenmount reached 63-3.

The rest of the season's final league programme followed suit with the game between Farnworth and Walkden the nearest to providing a winning result.

Walkden were bowled out for 148, but only after John Smith (30) and Bernard Reidy (25) had rescued them from 30-4.

The two Barrow brothers, Tim (35) and Chris (51 not out), led Farnworth's reply and at 125-8 the game was fairly evenly balanced when the weather brought about an abandonement.

In the other games, Astley Bridge's Anthony Clegg hit 96 not out in his side's 193-4 against Bradshaw, Kearsley reached183-8, with Richard Smith (50) and Rick Hamblett (40) against Horwich 92-3 (Grant Long 51), while Westhoughton made 206, with pro Antonio Mayers 48 and Steve Parker 51, against Little Lever, who did not bat.