Matt Nutter kept alive Barnoldswick’s hopes of retaining their Houldsworth Ribblesdale League title with a match winning display at Baxenden on Saturday.
Nutter claimed 5-50 as the hosts were dismissed for 97 at Back Lane, and then top scored with 40 as the champions scraped home by three wickets.
His 30-ball innings included four boundaries and three sixes and he was one of only three Barnoldswick batsmen to reach double figures.
Matt Austin top scored for Baxenden with just 23 as Sajid Akhtar also recorded a five-wicket haul.
Barnoldswick’s win was crucial as leaders Clitheroe crushed Brooksbottom at the Brox by seven wickets.
Clitheroe lead the table by 27 points going into this weekend’s double header, including Sunday’s crucial trip to Victory Park. Tomorrow Barlick host Edenfield and Clitheroe take on Earby.
Barnoldswick, however, lost in the LCB Knock Out at the quarter-final stage at home to Heywood on Sunday.
Earby beat Edenfield by four wickets, after dismissing their opponents for 124.
Earby skipper Richard Craddock won the toss and invited Edenfield to bat, Fraser Phillips and professional Paul Gallagher hit 34 in nine overs, but Lee Parkinson, with the last ball of his first over, trapped Gallagher (17).
Jake Hargreaves removed Phillips (12), also lbw, before Edenfield captain Adam Barnes (18) was caught by Hargreaves off Parkinson for 18.
Young spin bowler Ian White, on his first team debut, clean bowled Flitcroft (1) in his third over, followed in his next by Mark Burns, again clean bowled.
Parkinson sent Greg Smithson (1) and Chris Hanson (0) back to the pavilion, and Edenfield were 74-7.
Shahrukh Khan and Glenn Carroll added 37 before Khan (17) went for a big hit off White, Rory Robinson taking a spectacular catch on the edge. Then Craddock bowled Carroll (19) and Ryan Barnes to leave the Applegarth men chasing just 125 to win. Parkinson finished with 4-37, White 3-33 and Craddock 2-24.
In the fifth over Khan trapped Rehman for just three, leaving him nine short of 1,000 for the season.
Robinson and Chris Walton added 26 before Walton was bowled by Ryan Barnes. Iain Clarkson followed him (2) also bowled by Barnes. In form Matt Wilson hit four of his first deliveries to the boundary, visiting Pro Gallagher removed Robinson’s bails for 14 and the total stood at 72-4.
Craddock joined Wilson, and the pair looked in total control until Wilson was caught for a 27-ball 41 by Barnes.
Danny Kegg hit three fours along with Craddock reaching 18 not out, and the scores were tied when Kegg was bowled by Gallagher leaving Stephen Hipgrave to nudge the required one and march off again.