BRILLIANT Baxenden took another giant stride towards their first Ribblesdale League title for 16 years as they swatted aside a determined Earby challenge to make it 13 wins from 14 league games on Saturday.

Aside from a weakened side defeat in a Friday afternoon Lancashire Cup tie and one rained off league match, Bash have won every game their have played this season.

They are quite simply streets ahead of the rest and will win the title unless freak weather writes off the rest of their games and has no effect on their challengers – but even if that impossibility happens, a 37-point gap means the title race is now more of a glorious procession than a scrap to the death.

It has been that way for some time now and with each week that passes, a new side steps up to try and turn over Ian Austin’s outstanding side.

And Earby thought it could well have been their day as they looked to chase down Baxenden’s 226. It seemed on with Earby’s strong batting line up eyeing up a postage stamp sized boundary on one side of Back Lane with looks of anticipation.

But Baxenden’s bowlers stepped up to the plate – and Earby never got close.

Stephen Hipgrave won the toss and put Baxenden in on a green track with rain forecast but after three overs, Herbie must have been thinking it was going to be a long afternoon as Bash had surged to 23-0 and the skipper had seen Callum Waddington put down off his bowling at gully by Matthew Haines.

Record books were being thumbed even at this stage to see if Bash could post a new entry in the high scores list, but wily veteran Hipgrave got his radar fixed and put the blocks on to a degree and with the first ball of the 10th over he got his man as Babar Naeem was marvellously caught at long off by 15-year-old Ryan Sumner.

Naeem had made 27, including a gigantic brutal six over mid-wicket into the houses on Partridge Lane off Richard Craddock, and was starting to cut loose.

Waddington slashed the next delivery just out of the reach of point and Earby suddenly believed.

But Austin is a formidable foe and he played a fine innings as he shared a 100-run second wicket stand with Waddington before the latter was caught at gully by Ali Azmat just two short of what would have been a deserved half-century.

Austin did reach that milestone in style and his 65-ball 66, which included 12 fours and one six, was a joy to watch until he got a big hit wrong and holed out off Haines to Chris Walton.

Mark Rishton kept up the momentum and belted four sixes in his 51-ball 47 not out and Baxenden closed their innings on 226-6 with Haines claiming 3-50 to make up for his spilled chance.

That was a handy score but nowhere near what Bash – or Earby – anticipated.

But Haines was bowled in the sixth over with the score on eight as he tried to smash Naeem out of the ground – and eight runs later Stephen Pickles was comically run out after a shocking mix-up with Azmat, although he almost escaped as a wild throw for Austin to collect and remove the bails almost took the Lancashire legend off his feet.

That made Earby’s task tough but by no stretch of the imagination impossible with Azmat and Aron Pollard at the crease.

They were finding the unerring line of Austin and the variation of Naeem tough, though, and in the 12th over they had crept to 40-2 before Pollard was held by the sprinting Ben Swindells at deep square leg.

Then the game breaker came.

Azmat has an unenviable record of losing his wicket to leg before decisions at Baxenden – and that curse struck him again, although his decision to shoulder arms as he padded up to Austin was just about as wise as a Kevin Pieterson shot in one of his extravagant moments.

That really turned the fortunes and while Nigel Hodge (13) and Chris Walton (14) got starts, they perished to the searing pace of Dominic Bulcock. Walton, in particular found Bulcock too hot as his middle stump disappeared while Mathew Garner was out next ball and Earby’s hopes had gone.

When Hipgrave was ninth man out for a gritty 10 – another victim to the pace of Bulcock as he edged to Austin at slip – Earby were 94-9 and there were a shade under 10 overs left.

But Daniel Helliwell and last man Sumner really dug in and survived that spell with fielders crowding the bat as they put on 39 with Helliwell 27 not out and Sumner unbeaten on 10.

That they denied Bash the bowling points was a morale-booster for Earby - but it won’t hold up a title charge.

That’s a cert.

Baxenden
C Waddington c Azmat b Haines 48
Naeem c Sumner b Hipgrave 27
I Austin c Walton b Haines 66
M Rishton not out 47
L McIntosh st Garner b Azmat 4
S Payne st Garner b Haines 13
D Crenshaw c Haines b Azmat 2
D Bulcock not out 1
Extras 18
Total (for 6, 45 overs) 226

R Craddock 9 1 53 0; S Hipgrave 8 2 32 1; C Walton 4 0 28 0; Azmat 14 1 49 2; M Haines 10 1 50 1

Earby
S Pickles run out 0
M Haines b Naeem 6
Azmat lbw Austin 17
A Pollard c Swindells b Naeem 16
N Hodge c Howarth b Bulcock 13
C Walton b Bulcock 14
R Craddock b Naeem 7
S Hipgrave c Austin b Bulcock 10
M Garner c Swindells b Bulcock 0
D Helliwell not out 27
R Sumner not out 10
Extras 12
Total (for nine, 45 overs) 133

I Austin 9 6 11 1; Naeem 22 2 74 3; D Bulcock 11 2 32 4; G Sudworth 3 0 6 0

Baxenden won by 93 runs