Barrow load pressure on Leyland

Leyland's 28-point lead at the top of the Furness Building Society Northern Premier Cricket League (incorporating Readers Cricket Balls) was cut to 17 with four games left to play after Barrow kept up the pressure in the title chase.

Season long leaders Leyland had the worst of a draw at defending champions St Annes and picked up only four points while Barrow earned a maximum 15-point haul from their victory over Kendal at Shap Road.

The two sides meet at Fox Lane on Bank Holiday Monday in a game that will have a vital say on the destination of the championship.

Darwen and Blackpool both earned maximum points after defeating Lancashire Colts and Preston respectively.

Leyland have played 21 games and have 234 points and lead Barrow, St Annes and Darwen with Blackpool in fifth.

Atiq Uz-Zaman emerged from a lean spell to hit a superb 121 for St Annes as the home side raced to 261 for seven in 48 overs before declaring.

Atiq shared an opening stand of 73 in 25 overs with skipper Andy Kellett and then cut loose in the second half of the innings, receiving good support from Duncan Whalley (49) and pro Dinuka Hettiarachchi (28).

Atiq has now scored 866 league runs and leads Barrow's Jon Miles (784) in the race for the Castle Award.

Leyland lost their first four wickets for 39 with Hettiarachchi going on to take 3-51 from 24 overs and reach 80 league wickets for the season.

Opening bowler Ben Dowling captured 3-69 but Leyland pro Brett Pelser steered his side to a draw with an unbeaten 50 with good support from Andrew Makinson (37) and James Rounding (21 not out).

Barrow looked in difficulty early on at Kendal, relying on a fine 59 from 86 balls from Cumberland county opener Miles as they slumped to 118 for seven.

Chris Miller reached the 50-wicket mark for the season when he had Barrow pro Pasan Wanasinghe leg before while Sedbergh Schoolboy Ollie Field took 3-16 from six productive overs.

But Iain Kermode batted superbly to hit an unbeaten 55 with three sixes and four fours and nursed the tail to 206 for nine.

Miller has now taken 51 league wickets, one short of equalling the club record for an amateur and leads Lancaster's Ben Simm (48) and Darwen's Kamran Anwar (48) in the Castle Award bowling table.

Wanasinghe went on to take 4-48 including the prize wicket of Kendal pro Ross McMillan bowled first ball for 0 and has now taken 66 league wickets.

Terry Hunte provided the main resistance with a typically classy 70 off 111 balls before he was caught behind off Wanasinghe.

Skipper Daryl Wearing took 3-27, left arm spinner Gary Collins 2-27 and Graham Dawson ended Kendal's hopes of a draw by clean-bowling Mark Williams with 13 balls remaining as Kendal were dismissed for 136.

Darwen warmed up for the Readers Cup Final by continuing their recent fine run, defeating Lancashire Colts at Birch Hall.

Two innings of contrasting styles helped Darwen recover from 23 for three to reach 189 for nine, skipper John Cordingley grafting through 100 balls for 44 and talented teenager Kamran Anwar hitting an unbeaten 50 at a run-a-ball.

Chris Hartley took 4-46 for the Colts and Daniel Edwards 3-50.

Anwar then completed a fine all-round game by taking 4-37 as the Colts, captained by Lancashire Director of Cricket Mike Watkinson were bowled out for 134. Chris Wade supported Anwar with 3-15, Ryan Tyson top-scoring with 31.

Darwen's cup final opponents Morecambe also enjoyed the taste of victory after skipper Tommy Clough hit an unbeaten 18 off only six balls to steer his side home by three wickets with seven balls in hand.

The match was reduced to one of 43 overs per side after Chorley's team arrived late due to long motorway delays on the M6.

The visitors posted a competitive 156 for seven with Jack Bentham making 34, Will Moulton 32 and pro Gaurav Dhar 30.

Ikram Ullah hit 32 and Phil Dennison 38 as Morecambe reached 106 for two in reply before leg-spinner Dhar (4-66) induced a collapse, clean bowling three of his victims until Clough came in to play a true captain's cameo role.

Blackpool emerged victorious from a tense, low-scoring game at West Cliff despite only hitting two boundaries in their tortuous innings of 112 for nine on a slow-paced pitch.

Michael Moore top-scored with 21 off 56 balls and was one of only four Blackpool batsmen to reach double figures. Preston pro Bilal Asad took 3-18 off 16 overs.

Preston looked well placed as they reached 58 for two before Blackpool's Sri Lankan pro Nimesh Perera emerged as the match-winner.

The leg-spinner returned exceptional figures of 7-20 off 10 overs in his most productive spell of the summer as Preston lost their last eight wickets for 36 runs, Adam Parker last man out bowled by Perera for a defiant 39.

Fleetwood's in-form pro Matt Frith hit an undefeated 85 off 144 balls in his side's challenging 217 for three at Broadwater, wicketkeeper Dean Bell making 61 off 98 balls. Lancaster closed out for a draw on 160 for six despite Sam Bell and Frith each taking two wickets.

Carnforth pro Gareth Pedder took seven wickets in 22 balls but still finished on the losing side against Netherfield at Lodge Quarry.

In a remarkable collapse the visitors lost their last eight wickets for 14 runs after coasting to 201 for two, Pedder finishing with 7-26.

Alex Atkinson top-scored with 82 off 83 balls including three fours and five sixes with Ben Haddrick (48), pro Nick Kruger (37) and John Huck (25) all helping their side get off to a flying start.

But Stuart Nixon and Ryan Wilson then tore into Carnforth's fragile batting line-up weakened by the unavailability of opener Ryan Nelson. Nixon took 5-13 and Wilson 5-44 as Carnforth rolled over for just 63 in 23.2 overs.