PACE bowler Bob Baldwin faced his former club Arnside on Saturday after leaving to join Milnthorpe in the close season, and showed no mercy as he accounted for the first four batsmen in the order without a run on the board.

Young, inexperienced Arnside have bags of team spirit but they were without batsman Adam Richardson, out with a broken finger, and staggered to 59 before they succumbed, leaving Baldwin with final figures of 6-20.

Earlier, Arnside had won the toss and inserted Milnthorpe on a green-topped wicket that was not easy to bat upon.

Mike Wills (53) and Chris Baldwin (44) got them off to a solid start to leave them with wickets in hand, but a final total of 168-2 was fewer than anticipated.

Baldwin's electrifying start with the ball swept aside any doubts and set up an easy victory, which still leaves Milnthorpe in seventh place and 19 points off the pacesetters.

Warton and Westgate remain joint leaders at the top of Division One after they both won on Saturday, and they have opened the gap on the closest challengers from one to seven points.

Third-placed Windermere were washed out at home to Bare, while Sedgwick could not make up any leeway on the former as they were restricted to four points from a winning draw at Burneside.

Ibis went to Warton and when asked to bat a respectable score beckoned as they reached 103 for the loss of three wickets thanks to a stand of 43 between Ken Coulston (43) and Andy Earl (18).

The expected acceleration misfired, however, and the combination of quick runs needed and the introduction of new bowler Rory Batson (5-16) left them defending only 131-9.

Warton had four regulars unavailable, including new man Bovis and Jon Denwood who has gone to play at Carnforth, and made a bad start in reply to stand at 17-2.

But the fall of the second wicket brought father and son combination Ricky and Ryan Nelson together and they both hit unbeaten half-centuries in a stand of 115 to guide the table-toppers to a comfortable victory.

You cannot afford to drop Westgate's Peter Wilson, but Silverdale spilled him twice on one run and four times on all, allowing him to make 83 out of a formidable score of 220-4 declared, with the steady away batting of Nigel Parkinson (63), allowing the partnership to be made.

It left Westgate with 50 overs to try to dismiss a weakened Silverdale who had the draw in their sights from the off and although P. Sayer offered the sternest resistance for 54 they capitulated on 101.

Nick Dalzell led the scoring for Sedgwick with 65 out of a score of 155-8, but while Burneside could not challenge that score they remained defiant for the draw at 122-6, a result which leaves these sides still lodged in mid-table.

Heysham's last wicket pair denied Shireshead their first league victory.

Mike Park's 57 off 38 balls was the centrepiece of a score of Shireshead's 188-9. It was an eventful session for Andy Thomas with four wickets for 44, four drops, two catches and then he dropped his plate at tea for good measure.

Sean Twiname (4-41) reduced Heysham to 26-4, but Parker put them on course before he was out for an imperious 80 before Sharples and Dixon defended resolutely for the draw.

Ingleton bounded to the top of Division 2 with Ian Kellett starring in the batting with a meaty 75 before Pendry kept them smiling with three wickets in five balls to seal victory with Bolton le Sands only six runs short of the target.

Milnthorpe Seconds batsman Paul Dew hit a new Division Three individual record of 168 not out against Galgate Seconds as they won with two balls to spare.

It beat Jimmy Hetherington's 158 in 1978, and also the club best knock of Chris Baldwin of 165.