ELWORTH kept up the momentum after last week's win by trouncing Sandyford at home on Saturday.

The fine performance gave them 20 valuable points and lifts them four places from the bottom of the table.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, but Paul Crompton ripped through the top order, taking three wickets, and Matt Buckley picked up another to reduce them to 7-4, putting Elworth in a great position.

Sandyford needed a big partnership and Max Driscoll and Andrew Barnett set about building one. It was slow, patient stuff, but the score was beginning to look a little better when Driscoll edged one from Jim Higgins and became keeper Tarek Alam's third victim of the day, having scored just 16 runs.

Barnett kept the scoreboard slowly ticking over, but pro Murray Ranger stepped in and had him caught by Rob Beech for 17. Sandyford were now 61 for 6 and Elworth could smell blood.

With the score approaching three figures, Ranger had Hof caught behind for 24, and Higgins trapped Leese lbw for 26.

Sandyford were all out for 110, and in less than two and a half hours of play. Elworth's openers made a steady start, scoring at two runs an over before Underwood was caught for just six runs.

This brought Ranger to the crease and he was quickly into his stride, opening up with a six off only the sixth ball he faced.

He went to fifty with a boundary and Davies was closing in on a half-century of his own, but there were not enough runs left in which to get it.

Ranger had looked imperious, but with only two needed to win he chipped the ball to mid-on and picked out the fielder.

Tom Latham pocketed the catch and Ranger was out for 57. Five balls later it was all over as Davies struck another boundary and took Elworth to 113 for 2.

Also in Division One on Saturday, Crewe took six points from their drawn game at Stafford. Crewe toiled for three hours in the hot sun as the hosts piled up an impressive 250 for 2 declared on a good batting wicket.

Openers Jason Revill (40) and Richard Sharpe (48) put on 49 before Ranadeb Bose made the breakthrough. The score had moved on to 147 before 16-year-old David Hurst took the second wicket thanks to a good catch by Richard Marsh.

After that, Stafford pro Maduhusan Achara (49 not out) and J Mansfield punished the tiring Crewe attack with the latter reaching his century before retiring with heat exhaustion just before the tea-time declaration.

With the in-form Nick Lange on holiday, Marsh opened with Mark Hurst but was caught behind for 5. Hurst and Bose put on 40 before the pro was adjudged lbw for 19 to a ball that appeared to hit his shoulder.

After some tail-end heroics in recent weeks, Mike Holt was promoted to number six and repaid his captain's faith with a solid innings of 40 which, together with Tom Gowers' 35, guided Crewe to maximum batting points.

Despite some late scares, Crewe held out for a draw and closed on 189 for 9.

Betley went down against Hem Heath after being bowled out for 105. Adrian Butler put in the best performance for Betley before he was stumped for 37.

A 55 not out performance by John Cheadle, including five fours, put Heath on their way to 106-6 and a victory which gives them 20 points.

In Division Two, Haslington beat Hanford by six wickets. Dave Morton's 36 not out set them up for a 105-4 finish after the visitors were bowled out for 104 thanks to inspired work from Sohail Tanvir and Mohammed Ali.

Weston managed a draw at Meakin after the hosts had declared on 408-7. Mike Chester was the hero for Weston with an unbeaten 84. Saeed Khan also added 106, including 18 fours and three sixes, which took Weston to 222-6.