After the previous weeks win over league champions Barnoldswick, Brooksbottom must have expected an easy match against last year’s bottom side Earby.
After winning the toss and sticking Earby in on a green top, Zohaib Qureshi and Mohsin Iqbal opened the bowling and had the home side in all sorts of trouble.
After 17 overs Earby were on just 26-5, Iqbal with the incredible figures of 4-10 at that stage.
Skipper Pete Baistow joined professional Fahid Rehman in the middle and played his usual attacking game, and when the pro (27) went in the 30th over, they had added 60 runs.
Baistow batted on, falling to David Brown for what turned out to be a match-winning 43.
The tail wagged a bit with Richard Craddock (12) and Lee Parkinson (9) leaving the league’s new boys wanting 136 to win, Iqbal with amazing figures of 5-24 off 11.4 overs.
The second innings couldn’t have started better for the Applegarth men, Craddock taking a wicket in his second over, and Martin Kegg adding to the wickets three overs later, 20-2.
Pro Alan Armer and Mian Ulhaq added 37 before Danny Kegg had the pro caught for 21, Oliver Hawley and Julian Marcroft fell cheaply again to Danny Kegg 76-5 and game on.
Qureshi, the destroyer of Barnoldswick, came to the wicket and signalled his intent with a mighty swish at the first ball, and he quickly advanced to 29 off 13 deliveries including four sixes, but, going for his fifth, he was smartly caught on the edge by Martyn Windle.
Danny Kegg and Craddock had the tail wrapped up with a couple of lbws and the win was complete, 117 all out.
Danny Kegg finished with 4-36 off 10 and pro Rehman 3-20 off 13.1.
Tomorrow Earby are at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, before they host Salesbury on Sunday, both games starting at 1-30 p.m.