WALSHAW threw a spanner in the works for Premier Division leaders Woodbank on Saturday with a thrilling two-wicket win at their local rivals.

The relegation strugglers notched up their fourth win of the league campaign after battling back in a topsy-turvy encounter.

Shabnan Ali was their star on the day, taking five wickets to help bowl out Woodbank for 173 then hitting an unbeaten 36 after coming in at number nine.

He put on 61 runs in a ninth-wicket partnership with Stephen Holt (25 not out) that saw Walshaw home with five balls remaining.

Mike Mills, Walshaw cricket chairman, said: “Shabnan had a great day in what was a rollercoaster afternoon for the team.

“We let Woodbank off the hook when we had them at 96-9, then they had us on the rack before Shabnan and Stephen Holt came together.”

It capped a good weekend for Walshaw, who also beat Greenmount in the GMCL20 competition, with both clubs qualifying for the knockout stages from pool six.

After a difficult start to the season they seem to have turned a corner of late, and could move out of the bottom four with a win against reigning champions Egerton this weekend.

“Egerton are fifth bottom so this is a big game for us,” added Mills, whose side currently sit third bottom, but are just three points from safety.

“If we can get the win and results elsewhere go in our favour then we could finish the weekend in mid-table.

“But there are no forgone conclusions in this division.

“The cricket is really tough, so for a club our size survival is our aim.

“We do not have the budget or a benefactor that some of the other clubs enjoy, but I am confident we have the players capable of avoiding relegation.”

Fellow strugglers Bury are also enjoying an improvement in form and results.

Jon Wiggans was skipper for the day at bottom club Glossop and played a real captain’s innings, scoring 101 as Bury ended on 206-8.

Mukhtar Nasir’s 5-31, with support from Alex Breckin (3-49), ensured Glossop got nowhere near their target.

Bury remain second bottom, but their third win of the campaign moved them to within five points of safety as the season nears the midway point.

The Radcliffe Road club have also progressed through to the knockout stages of the GMCL20 along with Elton in pool seven, while Division Two side Edenfield and Division Three outfit Elton Vale have made it through group eight.

Unsworth belied their lowly league position to push Division One leaders Greenmount all the way in a dramatic encounter at Pole Lane.

Phil Heaton’s promotion hopefuls squeezed home with two balls and one wicket to spare as they preserved their unbeaten record.

But the home side looked odds on to end that run as bowlers Ian Hall and Alan McGuinness took four wickets apiece to set up a grandstand finish.

Unsworth looked set to post a difficult target after their top three batsmen all made decent starts but failed to push on to play a potentially match-winning innings.

Aman Arora top scored with 41, while openers Todd Casey and Steve Judge made 39 and 25, respectively.

But great bowling from skipper Heaton (4-32) and pro Kaustub Pawar (4-31) saw the visitors reduce Unsworth from 114-3 to 170 all out. The target looked more daunting after Pawar and fellow Greenmount opener Saad Khan were dismissed cheaply.

A cautious third-wicket partnership of 85 from Tom Heaton (44) and Sachin Varadarajan (39) arrested that early slump, but once Unsworth bowlers Hall and McGuinness hit their stride it seemed certain the home side would cause an upset.

McGuinness took 4-25 and Hall 4-29 as they ripped through the Greenmount order but last men Jonathan Ivers and Mark Stewart held their nerve to see them home.

There were good wins for both Brooksbottom and Edenfield in Division Two, but Elton’s wings were clipped by a heavy defeat at league leaders Thornham.

Moshin Iqbal took 4-21 for Brooksbottom as they bowled out Droylsden for 123 then Curwin McCarthy held their reply together with 46 as Brox passed their target with four wickets in hand.

An unbeaten 86 from Paul Gallagher was key to Edenfield’s victory over Prestwich seconds, as they chased down their total of 183 with six wickets and seven overs remaining.

But Elton, who had been in good form of late, were brought back down to earth with a bump following an 86-run defeat at the table-toppers.

The results left Brooksbottom well placed in third, six points off top spot, while Elton finished the weekend in fifth and Edenfield moved up to ninth.

Radcliffe remain top of Division Three despite a three-wicket defeat at third-placed Swinton Moorside seconds.

Elton Vale continue to challenge in fourth place, just two points off top spot, after a nail-biting three-run victory against bottom side Edgworth seconds.