BURY skipper Karl Belston steered his side to a dramatic one-wicket victory at home to local rivals Greenmount in a near re-run of their recent nail-biting win against Unsworth.

The club's rookie captain hit a four to secure the winning runs with four balls of the innings remaining and secure a third win from Bury's last four completed matches in the Premier Division.

They remain fourth bottom in the final relegation place but have drawn level with fifth-bottom Flixton and cut the gap to Greenmount, one of the pre-season favourites for the title, to just two points.

"It was like Unsworth all over again," said Belston, referring to a recent victory when he came in late in the innings to secure victory after his side had suffered a batting collapse.

"We really struggled early in our innings but when Mumtaz Mirza (39 not out) and Mukhtar Nasir (23) came together and put on a partnership just short of 50 it looked like we would win comfortably.

"Then Ryan Senior (3-25) took three good wickets for Greenmount and I found myself back at the crease with the game in the balance.

"We needed four to win off five balls with one wicket left and when I hit the ball I got my head down and ran.

"I just had it in my mind to run two or three, but it was only when I looked up and saw the lads in the pavilion celebrating that I realised it had gone over the boundary."

Belston dedicated the win to his bowlers, after overseas amateur Sura Malinga put in his best performance of the season, taking 4-31, while openers Neil Tong (2-28) and Alex Breckin (3-41) removed the top five Greenmount wickets.

It could have been worse for the Brandlesholme Road men, who were 96-7 before Phil Heaton added 41 to push the score up to 146-9 from their 50 overs.

Heaton (2-14) and Mark Stewart (2-26) put a stranglehold on the Bury reply on what was a slow pitch.

The home side were marooned on 20-4 after 24 overs and were 96-7 with 11 overs remaining before Mirza and Nasir came together, and while Nasir was one of three Bury batsmen to fall to Senior late in the game, Belston ensure they took the points.

Unbeaten Prestwich have a 10-point cushion at the top of the table, although they face a trip to second-placed Egerton on Saturday.

Heywood remain bottom, two points behind Unsworth, who fell to a five-wicket defeat at home to Glossop last Saturday.

No Bury teams were able to force a result on Sunday after bad weather ruined the programme, which had been replayed after being washed out earlier in the season.

There were some great results for local sides lower down the league structure on Saturday.

In Division One, Elton moved up to eighth place, leapfrogging hosts Astley and Tyldesley after beating them by 17 runs.

Harrison Smyth hit 46 as the visitors struggled to 136 following a productive spell of 5-27 from Astley and Tyldesley's star man Jimmy Cutt.

But Smyth capped a great display by taking 3-3 from just three overs to wrap up the home side's innings for 119 after Steve Filkins (5-36) had earlier earned a fifer.

Walshaw's lead at the top was cut to just three points after they fell to a first defeat of the league season, by four wickets at Worsley, while Woodbank dropped to fifth place after also losing by four wickets, at home to fellow title contenders Bamford Fieldhouse.

Brooksbottom battled to a third win of the campaign in Division Two after beating Edenfield by five wickets, earning revenge for a recent heavy defeat to their rivals in the GMCL20.

Pro Luke Benaquista took six wickets, including the final five, to bowl them out for 123, while Mo Iqbal struck a breezy 37 to help them past their total.

Captain Richard Ernill said: "After the heavy Twenty20 defeat the week before, it was good to get one over our neighbours.

"There's a good feel in the camp at the moment and we're starting to execute our game plans better."

Elsewhere in the division, Radcliffe are being leapfrogged by previous bottom side South West Manchester.

Elton Vale are second in Division Four West after earning a 138-run victory at home to Flixton's second XI.