Little Lever beat leaders Blackrod in the battle of the Premiership’s top two on Saturday to set up a late-season blockbuster title race also involving Salesbury in the Anthony Axford’s North West Cricket League.

Hosts Little Lever won for the 11th time in 14, this one by 32 runs in a hard-fought affair which saw spinner Curtis Anderton star with 5-41 as they successfully defended their 209-9.

Blackrod (148 points, 15 games) were restricted to 174-9 and now lead Little Lever (134) by 14 points. The latter have a game in hand, eight to play and a maximum of 12 points on offer per victory.

Little Lever captain Josh Gent top-scored with a lower middle-order 41 as Blackrod lost for only the second time in 2024.

Baxenden professional Ben Gorton returned one of the performances of the season in victory over Brinscall in the Championship.

In a seven-wicket away win, which saw Baxenden chase 154, Gorton claimed 4-28 from eight overs before opening the batting and steering the chase with a run-a-ball 112 not out.

Baxenden’s (102 points) seventh win in 14 games leaves them fourth placed in the second tier, 21 points adrift of Walkden (123) in second, who had a free weekend and have only played 13.

Atherton (111) are sandwiched in between Walkden and Baxenden. They won for the eighth time in 14, away at Earby by eight wickets.

Atherton’s Mo Nazim took the new ball and returned 5-29 in the home side Earby’s 134 all out before opener Oliver Gredecki top-scored with a patient 56no.

Championship leaders Read’s 13th win in 14 was achieved with significant comfort in a top-versus-bottom clash, by 118 runs away at Cherry Tree, who were bowled out for 67 chasing 186.

South African substitute professional, Ockie Erasmus ,top-scored for the leaders with a measured unbeaten 63 in their 185-5. He came in at 17-1 after nine overs and batted through the innings.

South African overseas amateur, Zadian Muller, put the skids under Cherry Tree’s reply as he took the new ball and claimed 5-24. Read (151 points) are 40 points clear of third-placed Atherton in the promotion race with six to play.

Sticking with the Championship, lowly duo Whalley and Oswaldtwistle Immanuel played out the first tie across either first-team division of this season’s NWCL.

Hosts Whalley totalled 174-8 batting first before Oswaldtwistle finished on 174-7. They needed eight to win off captain Frankie Jackson in the final over but only achieved seven.

Whalley pro Levi Wolfenden impressed with 87 in the first innings, as did Adil Hussain with a new-ball 5-44.

Hussain also added 23no in Owaldtwistle’s reply. However, he was the batter who faced the last ball and couldn’t achieve the two required for victory.

The other Championship fixture on Saturday saw Barnoldswick win at Feniscowles by 46 runs - their fifth success in 13 games this season.

Barnoldswick’s 199 all out was underpinned by fifties for sub pro Kieran Grimshaw (58) and Fezaan Imtiaz (56). In their defence, Indian OA Hardik Adak and stand-in skipper Jonathan Beech claimed three wickets apiece to bowl Feniscowles out for 153.

In the Premiership, Salesbury (129 points) are still very much alive in the title race. They are third and 19 points behind Blackrod with a game in hand and eight still to play. The game in hand is, intriguingly, against Little Lever.

Salesbury won an enthralling clash at Lostock by 14 runs, surviving the home side’s excellent start in pursuit of 208.

Salesbury’s Australian OA, Brandon Faber, top-scored with 75 in 207-7.

Third-bottom Lostock - they are only nine points above the relegation zone - then made it to 112-0 as openers Sam Barlow and Matt Lamb made 67 and 65. But they crumbled to 193 all out as Lewis Pearson (5-42) and Liam Parkinson shared nine wickets.

Fourth-placed Padiham lost ground as they were beaten by mid-table Kearsley, whose seventh win in 15 came by four wickets chasing 204 at home.

Neylan Chauhan claimed four wickets in Padiham’s 203-7 before South African OA Byron Giraudeaux’s brilliant 125no off 102 balls underpinned a Kearsley reply which wobbled from 168-2 to 174-6, but ultimately held firm.

Matthew Hicks and Nakash Qamar were Farnworth’s standout performers as they won for the 10th time to stay fifth.

Hicks struck four times in Eagley’s 151-9 before Qamar came in at 15-2 and steered the chase with a well-paced unbeaten 68.

Tonge consolidated their sixth place and in turn heightened Ribblesdale Wanderers’ relegation concerns, winning by five wickets chasing 88.

A not entirely straightforward ninth win was achieved on the back of bowling hosts Ribblesdale out for 87, which included George Leather’s eye-catching figures of 4-3 from four overs.

Tonge’s pursuit fell to 45-5, but South African OA Justin Gilliland’s middle-order unbeaten 34 ensured an away victory which had briefly been threatened. Wanderers are second bottom.

Chris Barrow-inspired Farnworth Social Circle, with eight wins, are seventh. They beat bottom side Astley Bridge at home by 57 runs.

Barrow top-scored with a middle-order 50 in Social Circle’s 210-9, before spinning his way to four wickets as Astley Bridge slipped from a position of encouragement at 64-0 to 153 all out.