THERE was no stopping holders Elton as they cruised to more Cross Cup glory against a shell-shocked Standish.

From the moment openers Howard Pawson and man of the match Graham Bushell got into their stride there was only ever going to be one winner.

The dynamic duo gave the Bury side a flying start before their partnership was finally severed for a magnificent 101.

But there was no respite there for underdogs Standish as John Ashworth piled on the agony with a quickfire 51 in just 34 balls.

Elton looked on cue for a massive 250-plus tally until an amazing collapse gave Standish some shred of hope.

Eight wickets tumbled for just 14 runs to leave the Wigan-based outfit facing a target of 216.

Standish's star with the ball was Stephen Knowles who took 4-17 from just five overs while pro Andy Cumberbatch chipped in with 3-80. What little hope they had soon disappeared as Standish simply never got going with the bat.

Running at around one run an over for the first 15 overs, it was a foregone conclusion that Elton would retain the trophy throughout Standish's reply.

Opener Mark Ramsdale stayed around a long time for his 18 runs while his only other teammates who passed double figures were Simon Maiden (16) and Peter Sheffield who hit an unbeaten 17.

Elton's Chris Filkins capped the perfect day for Elton as he was given a late nod to bowl a couple of overs and responded with two wickets for 10 runs - on his 41st birthday!

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