Babar Naeem produced with bat and ball to keep Baxenden on top of the Ribblesdale League.

The all-rounder scored 67 out of the home side’s 191-7 against second bottom Salesbury.

Naeem then claimed 5-42 as the visitors were dismissed for 104 in 35.3 overs to give the 2009 champions an 87 run victory. Baxenden next visit Cherry Tree on Saturday.

Read remain in touch, waiting for any slips in this season of surprises thanks to a revenge victory in their Ramsbottom Cup final repeat against Ribblesdale Wanderers.

Read reached 144-9 before Warren Eastham’s 5-30 helped dismiss the home side for 119. Read are six points behind the leaders but 15 points clear of third placed Barnoldswick.

It may be premature to suggest Barnoldswick are now out of contention in the title race. But victory for Read, when the sides meet at Whalley Road on Saturday, will certainly end their chase.

Barnoldswick have won only two of their last six matches and suffered their latest blow losing at home to Clitheroe.

Matt Nutter top scored with 65 for the Victory Park outfit as Kashif Siddique claimed 7-48. Siddique and Josh McDowell then hit half centuries in the chase as the champions coasted.

Whalley lost in a close finish against Edenfield. Paul Gallagher’s unbeaten 70 helped the home side to 160-4 and Chris Read’s 6-76 ensured Whalley finished just short despite Richard Palmer’s 69.

There were wins also for Earby at Oswaldtwistle and Great Harwood by seven runs against Padiham.

Settle’s bid to avoid the wooden spoon wasn’t helped by their home game against Cherry Tree being abandoned, the sixth game to be abandoned at Marshield this season.

Barnoldswick v Clitheroe

Barnoldswick
M Nutter b Siddique 67
R Nichols ct Aziz b Siddique 32
U Saddique ct McDowell b Fazal 6
P Beech LBW Siddique 8
L Hodgson st McDowell b Siddique 23
Nazir ct Siddique b Fazal 0
J Oldfield b Siddique 1
S Taylforth ct Hutchins b Siddique 6
A Khan st McDowell b Siddique 1
M Scothern Not Out 1
Extras 11
Total (9 wickets) 156.

F Butt 8 0 41 0, H Fazal 10 0 41 2, Siddique 14 2 48 7, A Hutchins 2 0 21 0.

Clitheroe
Siddique ct Oldfield b Scothern 65
J McDowell Not Out 65
T Aziz run out 1
C Musson b Nazir 2
N Ashraf Not Out 16
Extras 8
Total (3 wickets) 157.

Nazir 17 1 49 1, R Nichols 12 0 75 0, M Scothern 4 1 24 1.

Clitheroe won by 7 wickets.

Baxenden v Salesbury

Baxenden
C Waddington ct Blackman b Marsh 14
Naeem ct Rawlinson b Pradeep 67
M Rishton st Green b Pradeep 35
D Cronshaw ct Rawlinson b Brown 4
L McIntosh ct and b Pradeep 22
A Caunce ct Cook b Pradeep 9
D Hothersall ct Rawlinson b Brown 9
B Swindells Not Out 10
L Riley Not Out 1
Extras 19
Total (7 wickets) 191.

E Foster 9 2 22 0, A Marsh 8 2 24 1, P Blackman 5 0 28 0, Pradeep 14 0 59 4, S Brown 9 1 42 2.

Salesbury
J Rawson ct Caunce b McIntosh 2
Pradeep ct Hothersall b McIntosh 23
J Watson ct Warburton b Naeem 25
P Blackman ct Rishton b Riley 29
J Rawlinson st Caunce b Naeem 2
W Cook st Caunce b Naeem 5
E Foster ct Waddington b Riley 0
L Parkinson LBW Naeem 1
N Green st Caunce b Naeem 3
S Brown Not Out 1
A Marsh b Riley 0
Extras 13
Total (all out) 104.

Naeem 18 6 42 5, L McIntosh 13 5 33 2, L Riley 4.3 1 17 3.

Baxenden won by 87 runs.

Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Earby

Oswaldtwistle Immanuel
O Jones ct Craig Walton b Clarkson 16
N Payne ct Pollard b Craddock 16
Cook-Martin ct Craig Walton b Craddock 0
O Clare ct Hargreaves b Clarkson 28
R Hussain LBW Kegg 23
P Dignan ct Kegg b Azmat 27
I Abid Not Out 12
G Metcalf run out 23
K Smithson ct Haines b Azmat 3
Extras 7
Total (8 wickets) 155.

R Craddock 10 5 8 2, J Hargreaves 3 0 18 0, R Robinson 7 1 25 0, I Clarkson 5 0 20 2, A Yates 5 1 11 0, A Azmat 8 1 31 2, M Kegg 7 0 40 1.

Earby
Craig Walton ct Metcalf b Sipocz 19
Chris Walton run out 20
Azmat ct Cook-Martin b Metcalf 60
R Robinson ct Sipocz b Abid 3
M Haines ct Abid b Metcalf 29
I Clarkson b Metcalf 6
R Craddock Not Out 16
A Pollard Not Out 0
Extras 5
Total (6 wickets) 158.

S Sipocz 9 1 24 1, I Abid 19 1 83 1, K Smithson 4 0 19 0, G Metcalf 7.3 1 30 3.

Earby won by 4 wickets.

Padiham v Great Harwood

Great Harwood
M Howarth b Mehmood 47
Shahabuddin ct Robinson b Mehmood 26
R Whalley ct Howells b Mehmood 8
A Ullah ct Robinson b Mehmood 24
P Houldsworth ct Robinson b Holt 5
P Swanney ct Mehmood b Holt 26
I Haworth ct Mehmood b Holt 1
J Kayley b Meehan 24
R Sykes Not Out 18
S Maher Not Out 7
Extras 12
Total (9 wickets) 198.

S Meehan 6 0 24 1, M Howells 4 0 33 0, N Mehmood 15 0 62 4, Holt 18 2 60 3, K Hitchon 2 0 10 0, Padiham
K Hitchon ct Kayley b Shahabuddin 68
Holt ct Howarth b Shahabuddin 15
M Howells ct Howarth b Houldsworth 4
C Clarke b Shahabuddin 5
J Bushell ct Maher b Houldsworth 2
N Mehmood LBW Shahabuddin 0
K Robinson b Maher 32
S Meehan b Shahabuddin 4
P Shirtcliffe Not Out 20
O Deakin-Pickard b Maher 19
J Gray b Maher 0
Extras 22
Total (all out) 191.

Shahabuddin 19 4 62 5, S Maher 15 0 70 3, P Houldsworth 7 0 20 2, S Welsh 4 0 20 0.

Great Harwood won by 7 runs.

Ribblesdale W v Read

Read
Hornby ct Varley b Braithwaite 44
M Whalley ct Rain b Nuttall 5
W Driver ct Rain b Wajihuddin 32
K O’Connor ct Howard b Braithwaite 12
M Jamal LBW Howard 14
E Artingstoll st Rain b Braithwaite 16
A Laycock ct and b Wajihuddin 1
A Rushton ct Rain b Wajihuddin 8
C Lowes Not Out 5
W Eastham st Rain b Wajihuddin 0
Extras 7
Total (for nine) 144.

L Nuttall 7 2 21 1, I Britcliffe 6 2 17 0, J Braithwaite 16 0 48 4, Wajihuddin 16 2 55 4.

Ribblesdale Wanderers
A Marsh st O’Connor b Rushton 3
C Jackson st O’Connor b Rushton 17
Wajihuddin LBW Hornby 1
D Howard LBW Eastham 25
B Varley LBW Driver 20
J Rain ct Whalley b Eastham 1
J Bunyan LBW Eastham 4
S Kerr ct O’Connor b Hornby 13
J Braithwaite ct Rushton b Eastham 19
I Britcliffe b Eastham 0
L Nuttall Not Out 0
Extras 16
Total (all out) 119.

Hornby 12 3 26 2, A Rushton 10 3 22 3, W Eastham 11.2 1 30 5, W Driver 7 0 28 1.

Read won by 25 runs.

Settle v Cherry Tree

Match abandoned.