Northside stepped up their challenge for the West Cumberland Sunday League title while main rivals Parkside were in Cup action.
The Workington side closed to within two points with an 8-1 win over the bottom side Thornhill, and they also have two games in hand.
Tommy Whitehead led the way with four goals and skipper Chad Grisedale chipped-in with two. Luke Davidson and Callum Killick supplied the other finishes. Gary Humphries netted the Thornhill goal.
Meanwhile Parkside were winning their League Cup tier one game with Dearham by 6-1 with in-form Ben McCarron netting four of them. Adam Smith and a Dearham defender scored the others while Danny Dryden scored Dearham’s consolation.
The two other Premier Division games were absolute knife-edge thrillers and they produced 16 goals between them.
FC Cosmos beat Deer Orchard 4-3 while Lowca Pirates were 5-4 winners at Moresby Rangers.
Dan Hill (2), Dylan Elsworth and Bradley O’Pray scored for Cosmos to edge home against the Orchard who replied through Luke Graham, Lee Clark and Kyran Bertram.
The Pirates got the better of Moresby with goals by Oliver Todd (2), Shane Tyson (2) and Kian Goulding with the Rangers responding through Matty Williams (2), Taylor Hambling and Brett Smith.
There was only one Division One game and King’s Arms were comfortable 7-1 winners against Swan.
Danny Shaw (3), Sam Wordsworth, Bobby Fitzpatrick, Joe Appleby and Kian Hoey netted for the King’s Arms with Adam Shaw replying for the losers.
In the League Cup tier two Butcher’s FC were 3-0 winners at Senhouse Street as Lewis Mattinson (2) and Joe Hetherington provided the finishes.
Macaulay Sharp hit a hat-trick for Bluebell in their 4-1 win over Sun Inn, also in tier two, and they were also helped by an own goal from Mark Beaty. Kieron McCluskey scored for Sun Inn.
In League Cup tier three Royal Oak beat Flimby 5-2 with goals from Carl Lofthouse (2), Ryan Smith (2) and Luke Youdale. Karl Fillingham and Adam Kirkbride were the Flimby marksmen.
In the other tier three tie Salterbeck won 4-2 at the Sun thanks to goals from Keegan Holliday, Jonathan Bridgey, Niall Melton and Joe Courtney. Hayden Whittingham and Sean Rickerby scored for The Sun.
There’s another final tonight at Borough Park when Dearham face Northside with the Albert Murphy Cup up for grabs for the first time. Northside beat FC Cosmos there last month in the President’s Cup final. Tonight’s kick-off is 7pm.
