Tonge spoil the Kearsley party By Peter Mensforth Simon Anderton batting for Tonge while Kearsley's John Partington keeps wicket(H3731/31a). Little Hulton's Alan Gaskell batting watched by As TONGE may have lost their Bolton League crown to Kearsley last week but were still able to squeeze some measure of satisfaction when the old and the new met at Springfield Road.

Kearsley's first home match since winning the championship at Heaton was meant to be one of celebration but instead it turned out to be glory day for the departing champs.

Set to chase Tonge's 180-8, Kearsley were skittled for 84 as the skies turned grey -- only Darron Foy able to withstand the double bowling assault of Iqbal Sikander and Ian Taylor.

He stood his ground as other batmen came and went, scoring 34, Iqbal claiming six wickets for 34 and Taylor the other four for 41.

Top scorers in the Tonge innings were Aussie Dave Celep 42 and Iqbal 28.

Horwich wrapped up their home programme with their most comprehensive win of their campaign - a ten wicket drubbing of Eagley.

The platform for that was built by pro David White and Darren Preston who bowled out the visitors for only 98.

Each bowled 22 overs, Preston finishing with 5-49 and White 4-42.

When Horwich mounted their reply White was joined by Aussie Danny Payne and together they knocked off the winning runs, each scoring 50, the odd run in the total of 101-0 coming from a no-ball.

Egerton were also ten-wicket winners after openers Johnny Mills and Nigel Partington steered them past Westhoughton's 120.

Pro Neil McGarrell took 5-62 and Steve Price 3-42 as Westhoughton were made to struggle, once Egerton had removed Rick Parker for 36 and Sajid Mahboob 25.

Partington then led the victory charge hitting 61 not out with Mills claiming his half-century with 52.

At Walkden, Matthew Parkinson's 4-28 reduced Heaton to 139-9 leaving the home side to complete a six-wicket success, Dave Smith top scoring with 46 and Karl Bates unbeaten on 42. Circle and

Bradshaw's

gloomy day SOME of the teams batting second on Saturday certainly had problems in the gathering gloom.

Bradshaw and Farnworth SC were two who certainly did as they both crashed to defeat after being bowled out cheaply.

Circle were all out for 74 to their Farnworth neighbours while Bradshaw folded for 95 in a 110 defeat at home to Little Lever.

At Bridgeman Park, Farnworth only had a total of 159-8 to defend with Stuart Marsh 30 and Lee Sutton 25 the main contributors but Circle never got close to that as they were wiped out by pro Lee Childs and Billy Noakes.

Childs claimed five wickets for 17 while Noakes produced what is thought to be his first five- wicket haul in senior cricket when he finished with 5-54.

Healthy

At Bradshaw Mark Martin's unbeaten 70, the highest total of his senior career, steered Little Lever to a healthy 205-8, home professional Sairaj Bahutule the only bowler to prove successful taking seven wickets for 74.

Little Lever's South African bowling duo of Paul Rayment 5-44 and Justin Orchard 5-26 then took charge of matters as the Bradshaw batsmen again disappointed. There was a glimmer of hope for the future however, as 16-year-old Adam McLoughlin finished unbeaten for the seventh time in eight innings with his score of 14 giving him a healthy average of 46.

Aussie Mike O'Rourke has made notable contributions to Bolton cricket in the few years he has spent over here and he left another reminder on Saturday with an unbeaten century against luckless Astley Bridge.

He stormed to 111 not out in Greenmount's 173-1 as Bridge were beaten by nine wickets.

For Bridge the agony goes on. Again they failed to register their first win of the season and their bad luck even spread to their pro Sher Ali, who thought he had crowned his season with a century only to fall five runs short at 95 not out.