WOODBANK closed the gap on Premier Division leaders Flixton with their victory at home to Clifton.

Two points behind Flixton at the start of the day, they set their visitors just 165-9 to beat, with two top-order batsmen, Dominic Gowers and John Whitehead, departing without scoring.

But despite defending a modest total Woodbank were victorious as Clifton’s Chris Lord led their scoring with 16 of their reply of 82.

Woodbank’s win, with a bowling bonus point, means they halved the two-point gap between themselves and the front-runners, who beat Denton West by five wickets.

Woodbank travel to Denton West themselves this Saturday while Flixton face a trip to Bamford Fieldhouse.

Relegation battling Walshaw won a low-scoring game by eight wickets at home to Glossop.

The visitors collapsed from 40-2 at one stage to 81 all out, with Walshaw’s Shabnan Ali taking six wickets for 26 runs, backed up well by Dylan Blignaut’s 4-35.

Although Glossop’s Chris Tipper picked up two wickets Walshaw had little trouble in making the target within 19 overs, with Asif Bhojani 20 not out and Blignaut 22no at the crease when the winning runs came.

The win took Walshaw above Bury into third-bottom spot, thanks to Bury’s seven-wicket defeat at Denton St Lawrence.

Opener Mohammed Jamal scored 44 as Bury got their innings off to a decent start but although Jon Wiggans, batting at three, made an unbeaten 44, they managed to set just 158-9.

And only Sam Nolan-Massey (1-17) and Alex Breckin (1-52) took a wicket, Usama Akram running out Lahiru Jayakody for the other wicket to fall.

Their failure to stem the flow with wickets meant Denton were able to reach the target inside 40 overs.

Walshaw face Prestwich this Saturday while Bury host Roe Green.