THOSE who have doubted Horwich's staying power at the top of the table must now be realising the leaders' early success has been no flash in the pan.

You might have been forgiven for thinking otherwise at the start of their innings on Saturday as they stared humiliation in the face when Astley Bridge reduced them to 15-5.

But if nothing else Horwich's team spirit has proved a winner this season and help was at hand when Wayne Harper and Peter Morris put on a sixth wicket stand of 68.

Even when Morris was dismissed for 41, Chris Bannister joined Harper and together they put on 51 before Bannister and Paul O'Sullivan added a further 25 for the last wicket to earn their side a creditable total of 164.

That looked vulnerable, however, following Astley Bridge's good start with Paul Stafford 44 and Siddique 22 but once David White and Andy Taylor started to pick up wickets it all came down to one run separating the teams with the Bridge last pair at the wicket.

Jimmy Dakri was at one end having scored 18 but at the other David Cuff faced Taylor and with fielders clustered around him he could only nick the ball to the waiting hands of a gleeful Grant Long.

Earlier Bridge had been indebted to bowlers Nanajee 4-38 and Siddique 3-27 while for Horwich, White finished with 5-69 and Taylor 4-38.

Both Walkden and Greenmount might have felt they had a chance of achieving victory at the halfway point of their game.

The visitors would have felt reasonably pleased at limiting Walkden's strong batting line-up to 167 with pro Robin Morris taking 4-51 and Mark Stewart 4-63 but when their reply started to stutter, fortunes began to change.

In the end Greenmount finished 16 runs short with the last pair at the wicket, Walkden just failing to make the final breakthrough. Bernard Reidy finished with figures of 4-29 while earlier Mike Bennison 46 did much to steady the Walkden innings.

Farnworth could not halt their run of defeats when they faced Bradshaw. Again they could never achieve a total to test the visitors and their 108 meant they tumbled to a five wicket defeat.

Their one consolation was the performance of pro Shafique Ahmed, who after hitting 30 went on to take 3-43. Andrew Kerr top scored for Bradshaw with 34.

Heaton were also guilty of failing to put enough runs on the board in their match at Westhoughton. A total of 126-9, Jonathan Fearick 30, was never enough to test the home side, who having lost Mubarek Patel with a dislocated finger, won with 127-7, Wayne Luntley hitting an aggressive 35 with two sixes and three fours.

Sajid Mahmood played a dominant role for Egerton in their 50 run win over Little Lever. He hit 63 as his side reached 190-8 before taking 5-42 to reduce Little Lever to 140 all out.

Kearsley pro Fasel Akber showed something of his true form taking 5-64 as Eagley were bowled out for 123, Dave Leonard also claiming 3-21 before Steve Davies 54 and Jordan Thornley 40 eased the home side to a comfortable eight wickets win.

Defiant Kerrigan

TONGE'S Jon Kerrigan produced another solid innings despite having to use a runner following a back injury.

The Castle Hill side were facing a Farnworth SC total of 163-9 but after Rick Northop had given the reply a healthy start on his way to an unbeaten innings of 68, Kerrigan gave his runner something of an easy time hitting two sixes and four fours in a blistering 30 to tip things his side's way.