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Middleton beat champions

27/ 5/2002

CRICKET: AN 82 from pro Ruevin Peiris guided Middleton to victory over Rochdale and helped them open up a six-point gap over last season's Central Lancashire League champions.

Rochdale had set their hosts a target of 165-8 in the biggest league game of the season so far, but it wasn't enough as the Sri Lankan helped Middleton to four points with four wickets to spare.

With all yesterday's (Sunday) games washed out, Middleton ended the weekend on top of the table, level on 28 points with Littleborough, while Rochdale have dropped down to eighth with 22.

Littleborough pulled level at the top with a win over Ashton in one of the many low-scoring games on Saturday. Ashton pro Anil Rideegammanagedera took 7-53 as Littleborough were dismissed for 113, but the visitors couldn't finish the job off as skipper Brendan Miskella took 6-33 to help bowl Ashton out 16 runs short of their target.

Asif Mujtaba's 6-76 helped bowl Milnrow out for 158, but Norden's chase was halted by the rain after 22 overs, so both teams had to settle for a draw.

RESULTS: Central Lancashire League - Saturday: Heywood 85 (Smith 7-28) Oldham 88-4, Rochdale 165-8 Middleton 168-6 (Peiris 82), Milnrow 158 (Mujtaba 6-76) Norden 72-6 (rain stopped play - match drawn), Littleborough 113 (Carseldine 51, Rideegammanagedera 7-53) Ashton 97 (Miskella 6-33), Crompton 82 (Fernando 5-22) Werneth 83-4, Stand 53 Radcliffe 56-2, Unsworth 71 (Hewson 6-19) Walsden 72-5. Sunday: All games washed out.,

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