Euxton are pipped to promotion again

Euxton's 21-run defeat on the Fylde coast enabled Fulwood and Broughton to pip them to second place with a thumping 153-run win over relegated Preston.

A week after F&B became the only team to beat Fleetwood in the league all season, Euxton looked set to repeat the feat as Nishan Peiris took 5-18 off 7.3 overs to end the season with six fiver-fers and 80 wickets.

Andy Drake scored 25 after Fleetwood had been put in but no-one else managed more than 13.

However, Euxton were all out for 78 in reply. Seven players were out for six or fewer as they collapsed from 42-2 to 56-9.

Professional Dan Salpietro took 8-41, his best since playing for Atherton in 2010. The league's top wicket-taker Matthew Siddall had to settle for a single victim and ended the season with 97.

It left Euxton in third place for the second season running, missing out by four points this year after falling six short in 2025.

Fleetwood finished 26 points clear of F&B as the two teams relegated from division one last year went straight back up. Last year's division two champions St Annes are dropping back down, with Settle also relegated from the top flight.

Eccleston ended their Palace Shield Championship campaign with a three-wicket win which sent hosts Westgate down.

The Lancaster club posted 153-4 from 37 overs as captain Craig Buchanan scored an unbeaten 55, sharing 77 with wicketkeeper Lewin Maladay (38).

However, Buchanan's Ecc counterpart Thomas Foster had the final say, the skipper carrying his bat for 84 and leading his side to victory at 155-7 in 36.4 overs despite RP Don's 4-51.

The result enabled Fylde and Vernon Carus to pull clear of Westgate, who drop into division one with Burneside and Garstang 2.

Eccleston climb to fifth in the final table, ahead of Lancaster on run rate, while champions Torrisholme and Heysham move up to the NPCL.

Chorley 2 won 17 successive matches to be crowned champions of Palace Shield division two.