TONGE reached the final of the Lancashire club knockout competition after completing an eight wicket destruction of hot favourites Bootle.

The Liverpool Competition side were in trouble from the start against the Tonge bowlers, and when they were reduced to 65-5 the innings looked to be going nowhere.

A century partnership then pulled them round and their total of 179-8 looked to be a testing target for the Bolton League side.

A back injury also meant that Tonge had to drop opener Rick Northrop down the order with Jim Aspden coming in to open the innings with pro Adil Nisar,

They attacked from the start and it was their partnership of 83 off the first eight overs that laid the foundations for the win.

Pro Nisar was in breathtaking form, his half century coming off only 34 balls and when he was finally out for 58 his score included 11 fours and a six.

If Bootle thought they had made the breakthrough with Nisar's wicket they were quickly proved wrong.

Captain Simon Anderton merely took over from where the pro had left off and his unbeaten 48 steered them to a winning 180-2.

Ian Taylor was the pick of the Tonge bowlers with 4-22 off nine overs but there was a promising debut performance from Ian Eccleshare who stepped up from the second team to record 1-27 off eight overs and there were four fours hit off his bowling in those figures.