Carlisle extended their lead to eight points in the Premier Division of the Cumbria League with a big win at Whitehaven.
After five weeks of the season the big four are back in position and the battle for the title seems to rest between them.
The only unbeaten side in the competition, Carlisle made it five wins from five games when they overwhelmed Whitehaven at the Playground.
After posting 185-9 in their 50 overs, Carlisle then dismissed their hosts for only 51 in 25.4 overs.
Mind you Carlisle had to recover from 0-2 after losing both Tom Benn and Michael Slack without scoring, both to Andrew Cameron who finished with 3-30 from his 10 overs.
They were steadied by James Dawson (56), Ben Davidson (48) and Marc Brown (29) to post to reach an excellent total under the circumstances. Geeth Kumara, sub pro again for the West Cumbrians, backed-up Cameron with 3-48.
But Kumara, a match winner in two previous outings for Whitehaven, couldn’t repeat the trick this time – scoring only one and receiving only six balls in a brief stay.
Nobody would really stick around for any length of time. Last season’s match-winner against the city side, Chase Young, hit 20 off 29 balls, including two sixes but he was the only Whitehaven player to reach double figures.
Slack took 3-9 and Nico Watt had 3-10 as Whitehaven collapsed with 13 extras second top-scoring.
Workington had been second, six points behind but they suffered a second successive home defeat when they lost to Keswick by 67 runs.
Put in to bat Keswick prospered after losing Will Atkinson at 23. Stephen Hindmarch (58) and Scott McGown (29) put on 84 for the second wicket and pro Risith Upamal, a compact and diligent batsman guided the middle-order and tail to 185-7 with an unbeaten 37.
Workington never really recovered from a dreadful start as Keswick skipper James McGown struck three times to reduce the home side to 10-3.
Callum Moffat (36) was key to Workington steadying the ship and there was a decent knock later from David Pearce (28) and any late surge for victory just petered out, dismissed for 118 with 10 overs still to go.
James McGown finished with 3-23 while brother Scott McGown took 3-11. Indeed Keswick had three sets of brothers in the line-up – the McGowns, Stephen and Paul Hindmarch along with Finn and Jerry Turnbull.
As a result of that win Keswick moved up to fourth while Workington dropped to fifth.
Climbing into second place eight points behind Furness are Cockermouth who beat visitors Millom by four wickets.
Millom had been put in to bat and although losing Michael Wilson early they were revived by a second wicket stand of 91 between Dec Tyson (31) and professional Primosh Perera (86).
Perera was sixth out after facing 144 balls and soon after the innings closed at 161-6. Young Josh Brown was the most effective bowler for Cockermouth with 2-17 off his 10 overs.
Skipper Matthew Sempill (33) and opener Ale Grainger (25) got Cockermouth moving after Ryan Carruthers had gone for only four.
But there was still work to do at 107-5 when Sempill was out but Greg Platten (53 not out) from 50 balls was the man for the job and he saw Cockermouth over the line with four wickets and 6.1 overs to spare.
Furness had started well against Cleator through Nathan Waterston (49) and Sam Dutton (27), but then lost four quick wickets before being resciued by a century seventh wicket stand.
Garry Thompson (70 not out) and Bradley Chapples (50) were largely responsible for them reaching 244-7.
Professional Kasun Madushanka was Cleator’s most successful bowler with 3-32 from his ten overs.
Cleator lost four wickets early on, while there were three ducks in the last five batsmen to succumb.
It was left mainly to James Rogers (63no) with a little help from Madushanka (16) for them reaching 106 in 38 overs. Five Furness bowlers took two wickets apiece with Thompson (2-8) and Peter Lawson (2-17) the best.
Dalton moved away from the foot of the table when they won at Egremont by 34 runs.
Opener Joe Braund-Smith (58) and Tony Butler (29) were the mainstays in Dalton’s 163 all out from 46.4 overs. Egremont bowlers Shaun Bostock (4-30) and Coady Scott (3-32) both put in good ten over spells.
But it was the bowling of Rankika Pinnala Don (5-24) who swung the game Dalton’s way after Egremont had been reeling at 7-3, all three wickets to Amari Goodridge.
Then it looked as though overseas amateur Javon Grosvenor would swing it Egremont’s way. He hit 84, including eight fours and six sixes before Goodridge and Don teamed-up to get him out at 117-7.
There were no more fireworks from the Egremont tail and they were bowled-out for 129. Goodridge finished with 3-39.
Haverigg picked up an important win at Wigton by three wickets after the home side had been held to 123 all out.
It would have been worse for Wigton but for a ninth wicket stand between Glen Liddle (24no) and Cameron McGuinness (15). Jordan Postlethwsite took 4-20 for the visitors.
Drew Postlethwaite (47) and brother Jordan (32no) provided the base for Haverigg’s winning reply of 127-7. Liddle took 3-18 for Wigton.
