IT WAS a weekend of surprises in the Readers Westmorland Cricket League this weekend as table-topping Shireshead lost their first game of the season but bottom club Bare recorded maximum points over Trimpell.

One of the best results of the day though was Windermere’s superb five-wicket triumph at home to Warton despite them missing six first team regulars.

Jono Cooper had a superb game as he picked up a seven-wicket haul without giving a lot away to get Warton all out for 151.

Matt Park batted throughout as he was unbeaten on 29 but Oliver Killiner got the most runs for Windermere with 43.

Cooper’s 22 helped add to the tally but number six Steve Carruthers really helped take the game away from Warton with 27.

Windermere only won in the 43rd over, but with only five wickets down they had plenty in the bag to record their second win of the season.

Jon Moller’s unbeaten 105 over fellow relegation candidates Trimpell gave Bare their first win of the season.

He helped the basement club to 228-6, with Trimpell all out for 121 in reply.

Shireshead suffered their first reverse of the season at the hands of Milnthorpe, who won only the second game of their campaign to move up to fifth.

In a hard fought and keenly contested affair, Shireshead slumped to 28-3 having decided to bat first, with Parkinson 2-29 and Bob Baldwin 3-41 swinging the new ball appreciably.

Skipper Paul Yates (32) and Simon Gould (34) counter attacked as they added 70 in 13 overs and Shireshead stood in the healthy position of 96 -3 at the 25 over mark.

However the loss of Yates to Lee Illingworth precipitated a collapse and at 109-7 Shireshead were left to occupy the crease, rather than accelerate in the final third of the innings.

David Carter (21 not out) and David Murphy left Shireshead defending a score of 163.

Peter Wilson (2-21) struck early in the Milnthorpe reply but Lee Illingworth put in a captain’s performance with 61, and Phil Bovis’ 36 took the score to 102 and a position of serenity.

Six wickets fell for just 39 runs though, and at 155 -8 the game hung in the balance, but Postlethwaite was a picture of calm as he scored the winning runs to knock Shireshead off their perch at the top of the table.

They were replaced by Arnside, who moved nine points clear thanks to their third 15-point success of the season.

Adam Richardson’s 61 and 51 by Adrian Lee were the catalyst to victory as they scored runs at a good clip on Arnside’s way to 217-9 at Heysham.

The introduction of Andrew Ideson slowed Arnside’s progress as the middle order collapsed, but Oliver Hogg’s 20 towards the end of the innings helped the league leaders to their total.

In reply Heysham rocketed to 35 off four overs but Alex Davidson and Adam Dyson helped produce regular wickets of the home side.

Matthew Brockbank also impressed with a few wickets on his first game of the season as Heysham were bowled out for 173 to give Arnside a 44-run win.

Westgate’s Wilkinson and Hannigan scored 56 and 52 not out respectively as Westgate moved up to third in the table.

They picked up 185-8 from the first innings, but they only won by 18 runs as Silverdale scored a spirited 167 all out in reply.

Burneside were dismissed for just 78 thanks to Adam Dyson’s 6-27 in their home match against Bolton-le-Sands, despite the Cumbrians winning the toss.

The wickets fell at regular intervals as they were bowled out in the 33rd over, but Bolton-le-Sands did their best to throw the game away when they were down at 27-5.

Dyson continued with a captain’s performance to help steer his side over the line, with Michael Cole impressing on 39 not out to give Sands a five-wicket triumph.