The Anthony Axford North West Cricket League Conference Premier Division saw a double-header last weekend with two round of fixtures being played.

On Saturday, Read won by one wicket as they visited Astley Bridge, while Cherry Tree hosted Barrowford firsts and won by four wickets with Harry Stevenson (57) and Joseph Ince (51) top-scoring for the hosts.

Farnworth won by 49 runs as they hosted Burnley Belvedere seconds, with Tom Speak scoring a quick 65, while Salesbury won by 80 runs as they visited Foulridge firsts with the visitors’ wicketkeeper, Thomas Wilson, scoring 76 runs and Harvey Vause taking 5-47 to complement his 40 in the first innings.

The most comprehensive victory came at Little Lever, as they hosted Ribblesdale Wanderers and won by 187 runs. Joe Capstick scored 80 runs and Naeem Patel took 6-31.

Moving forward onto Sunday’s games, Farnworth had a comfortable victory as they visited Astley Bridge, with Mehr Khan taking 5-26. Farnworth Social Circle lost by four wickets to Cherry Tree on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) in a rain-affected game.

Burnley Belvedere seconds won by seven wickets as they visited Foulridge firsts. Burnley’s Muhammad Qasim scored 64 runs and Foulridge’s Jabbran Sajjad hit 51.

In another rain-affected game, Read won by eight wickets against Barrowford firsts. Barrowford’s Ansar Mahmood scored 53, and Read bowler, Andrew Laycock, took an amazing 7-32. Read’s Oliver Dinning also scored an unbeaten 53.

Salesbury won by 16 runs in another rain-affected game as they hosted Little Lever. Little Lever’s Matthew Mills took 5-23 and Salesbury duo, Sam Bristol (5-34) and Daniel Rawson (5-46), both took five-fors.

Looking at the league table, all teams have played 17 games with the exception of Read, Cherry Tree, and Burnley Belvedere seconds, who have played 18.

Farnworth are at the top with 164 points, and have a 15-point lead on second-placed Little Lever (149). Read are in third with 139 points, Farnworth Social Circle sit fourth on 135 and Salesbury are fifth with 125 points. Barrowford firsts are in sixth place with 121 points, Cherry Tree seventh with 117, and Burnley Belvedere seconds sit eighth with 107.

The bottom three teams will be relegated to Conference Two next season. Currently, Ribblesdale Wanderers are ninth with nine points, Astley Bridge are 10th with 92 and Foulridge firsts bottom with 56 - the latter already confirmed to be playing Conference Two cricket next season.

When the Conference splits into three divisions of 10 in 2025, two out of three clubs will have a place in the Premier Division, these being Burnley Beldevere (163 points from 16 matches), Padiham (159 from 16) and Walkden (156 from 15). The 2024 season has been made up of a total of 18 games.

Baxenden and Lostock are guaranteed a place in the second division, and Barnoldswick and Blackrod require four points each from their remaining two matches, with 12 points for a win, and the possibility of bonus points for a losing team.

Oswaldtwistle Immanuel will secure a place with one victory from their remaining two games.

The teams with an outside chance of beginning in tier two are Earby, Brinscall, Chatburn and Kearsley.

Last Saturday, Mark Parry hit 72 as Atherton beat Feniscowles by five wickets, however two players bettered this, both from Kearsley who smashed 404 from just 36 overs, Ayyan Mehmood 121 and Mohsin Patel 72, with Foulridge making 171 in reply.

There was another high-scoring match at Walkden, with the home team recovering from 100-5 to overtake Tonge’s 196.

At the opposite end of the scale, Whalley were dismissed for 32 (Nabeel Rahman 5-17, Muhammad Yahya 4-15) and Barrowford’s seconds 34 giving Burnley Beldevere and Padiham respectively comfortable victories.

In the remaining games, Chatburn defeated Blackrod by two wickets, Lostock overcame Barnoldswick by the same margin and Eagley had a seven-wicket victory against Brinscall.

On Sunday, Henry Hindle took six wickets in Baxenden’s eight-wicket win against Chatburn, Barnoldswick triumphed by 16 runs against Eagley and the remaining game between Burnley Belvedere and Earby was abandoned in the first innings.