ONLY one win separates the top six clubs and just four points the bottom eight of the Jennings North Ribblesdale League, which is proving a highly changeable competition at the moment. A couple of weeks ago, Settle and Barnoldswick were propping up the table. Now are well into the thick of the action and looking to maintain their progress.

Barnoldswick have not looked back since deciding that they are better equipped to set targets than to chase them and they collected another five points on Saturday when getting the better of Blackburn Northern at Victoria Park.

The chance to test themselves against a player of the calibre of Blackburn's former Test player Rehman was an added incentive for the Barnoldwick batsmen and while they had to graft for their early runs on a low, slow track, openers Ian Scothern and Mark Temple gave the innings a solid foundation.

Their stand of 60 in 22 overs was highly respectable, but when Temple went looking for a big hit of Rehman and Paul Beech followed soon afterwards, Barnoldswick needed to regroup for a spell when 'Sid' Sheraz joined Scothern.

They took the total into three figures before another tidy innings by Scothern ended when he was out for 44 and Charrywala the accounted for Sheraz. Andy Brown then continued his recent run of good form, avoiding the rash shot and picking off the runs sensibly as he and Michael Scothern put on 41 runs for the fifth wicket in even time.

The onus then shifted to the Barnoldswick bowlers, who responded in fine style. The first 14 overs produced only 19 runs and with three wickets falling, Blackburn were soon behind the asking rate. With James Stead, arguably to quickest amateur paceman in the league at the moment, Blackburn struggled for runs, although when Indian Universities player Charrywala joined opening Knight, the pair added 77 runs for the fourth wicket, the former producing a superb innings with shots to all parts of the ground.

The focus then switched to Barnoldwick's fielding, with Sheraz producing a perfect return to run out Charrywala for 36 and Dave Cockell scoring a direct hit for remove Knight.

Sadly for Barnoldswick, they could not take their good form to the bitter end and were denied the bowling bonuses by the last wicket pair.

Settle continued their recently improved form with a three-wicket win at home to Oswaldtwistle, although they were heavily endebted to David Jolleys for getting them out of a tight corner. Jolleys turned in a superb spell, claiming two wickets and conceding only seven runs in his first 11 overs. He finished with 6-32 from 18 overs, only mid-order man Watson, with 39, offering serious resistance as the visitors were put out for 96.

The loss of professional Surendra Bhave to the first ball of the innings hinted at problems ahead and when Settle gradually slipped to 73-7, the visitors had worked their way into a winning position. Jolleys, however, obviously had no intention of seeing his earlier good work wasted and he hit a brisk 16, including a six and two fours, to help his side home without further loss.

Earby stayed in the top flight with a sound all-round performance at Whalley which earned them five points. Although the home side scored steadily after electing to bat, opener Graham Knowles (45) and middle-order man Reed (71 n.o.) both producing useful innings, their 168-3 total always offered hope for the visitors.

Initially, fortune favoured Whalley, who had Knowles claiming a couple of early wickets, but once Jonathan Harvey and Matthew Plant came together, the outcome was never in doubt.

Harvey reached his fifty in 84 minutes off 75 balls and finished with nine fours in his unbeaten 70 Plant was even more brisk, hitting two sixes and four fours as he reached his half-century in 56 minutes off 57 balls, victory coming with three overs and seven wickets to spare.

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