PRESTWICH'S last ever visit to Longsight was an enjoyable one after they got back into the winning groove.

A seven-wicket triumph kept the Heys side on top of the Lees Lancashire County League after they had lost their previous three games.

Longsight will cease playing at the end of the season as their ground has been sold for housing, and it already shows.

Faced with an outfield which already looked as if it was part of someone's overgrown back garden, neither side found it easy to breach the boundary fences.

That is, with the exclusion of Longsight tail-ender Vinny Kenlock.

Players and a few well-travelled observers witnessed one of the biggest sixes seen at any ground -- and Longsight is no postage stamp!

Pro Craig Duxbury's first delivery of his last over not only soared over the high perimeter fence, but over the first raft of high-rise flats and landed on the roof of a row behind.

To say it might have registered on Manchester airport's traffic control radar would not do it any injustice.

Kenlock then smacked another out of the ground -- a mere powderpuff effort by comparison -- to lift what was becoming a dour end to the home side's innings.

Kenlock's unbeaten 25 boosted his side's score from 99-9 to 129-9 and deprived Prestwich of the chance to gain maximum points, as Kenlock and last man Salmon remained intact.

Earlier, Prestwich had fought well to keep their unpredictable opposition at bay.

Matty Walsh played a vital part in the fall of the first two wickets.

His quick reactions to an intended single forced batsman McDonald to do a U-turn, but he was beaten back to his crease by Walsh's accurate throw to Chris Humphreys.

Skipper Selwyn Stephenson and pro Shafiq took the score to 51 before Humphreys forced Shafiq into a mistimed shot off his legs, and Walsh took a well-judged catch from the resultant skier.

Alex Blake constantly beat the outside edge as his seven overs yielded just 15 runs, and he uprooted Hussain's leg stump in the process.

Duxbury then got in the act, but it was courtesy of another stunning spectacle as Humphreys sprinted 40 yards at deep mid-wicket to dive and cling onto a catch millimetres off the ground, and a disbelieving Al Iman trudged off back to the pavilion.

John Walters was brought into the attack and he picked up Newall's wicket via a catch to Steven Lorenzini at mid-wicket, and the stubborn Stephenson was finally removed for 30, stumped by wicketkeeper Ian Walker off Duxbury.

Qasim was bowled, giving Duxbury his third wicket, and then Andy Bradley drew Rehan into an uncertain prod and the ball sailed into the hands of Blake at gully -- only for Kenlock's cameo to halt Prestwich's "all out" quest.

Kenlock was soon in the thick of the action in the Prestwich reply, catching Duxbury for 16 with the score on 19, but Mike Hudson and Walker methodically totted up the runs in a partnership of 82 to dispel thoughts of an upset.

It was a case of hard graft as the Longsight attack made good use of the slow, variable wicket.

But when Hudson played a ball from Al Iman onto his stumps for a studious 39, and Walker pulled a delivery from the same bowler to mid-wicket for a competent 44, the damage had been done.

A nifty 15 not out from Steven Lorenzini saw Prestwich ease past the target with 10 overs to spare.

The side now lies three points clear of nearest rivals Denton St Lawrence and Denton will provide a stern test for the Heys team on Saturday.

An innings of 57 from opener Gareth Barnes was the rock on which the 2nd team's total of 184 was built, but Longsight surpassed it with one wicket to spare.

Prestwich 3rd XI lost out in a last ball thriller to Rochdale, despite a half century from John Fiorentini.

The Under-17s lost to Glossop in the Greenhalgh Cup Final. The Heys team hit 192, with Sean Haslam top scoring with 75, but Glossop overhauled it with a couple of overs to spare.

Prestwich 2nd XI bid to make it a hat-trick of Hulme Trophy victories this Sunday when they are away to Woodhouses, who currently top their division.