IT WAS all change at the top of the Bay Northern Premier League after Netherfield avoided the worst of the weather to beat Darwen by 63 runs and go back to the top of the table as the other results went in their favour, writes Richard Daniels.

Professional Pieter Strydom made probably his most important contribution yet as he held the innings together with his second century for the club.

He found fine support from Stuart Horne, whose sterling knock of 29 meant that the pair of them supplied 131 out of a score of 160 all out.

Trepidation was well justified for the batsmen when facing an awful damp, green wicket as Craig Walmsley found out when caught behind in the first over.

With the ball doing unpredictable things, Tommy Prime went the same way in the fifth over with only three runs on the board and Jimmy Moyes also fell cheaply to a slip catch to make it 29 for three.

On the same score, there was another major blow when Grahame Clarke was caught and bowled, but experienced Strydom shepherded the score to 54 when Danny Welbourne edged one to slips to become the fifth wicket down.

But it was Horne' s arrival to join the South African that brought the stability Netherfield urgently sought and together they put on a priceless 91 in 25 overs - even though an hour was lost to rain in the middle of it.

When Horne was trapped leg before with the score on 145 just five of a reduced 52 overs remained.

Darwen found a way through Strydom's defences two overs later for a 102 off 145 balls that included three sixes and 11 fours and they quickly wrapped things up at 160 all out.

To their dismay, Darwen had no answer to the visitors' compelling opening bowling partnership of David Wheatman and Scott Clement.

Clement struck for a leg-before decision with his first ball and Wheatman followed suite in his opening over.

West Indian professional Keith Semple was caught at short leg to make it 11 for three after six overs and wickets fell regularly afterwards as they scrambled to 66 for six.

Desperate measures were needed and Graeme Parkinson hit Horne for four successive fours in the next over but his departure to a skier taken by wicketkeeper Moyes saw Clement return to rip through the tail as the last four wickets fell without further addition to the score.

Clement finished with 5-26 and Wheatman 3-23 to underline how formidable a double act they are.

The 15-point haul took Netherfield back on top after Morecambe took only four points from a rained-off draw at Kendal and second-placed St Annes lost to Chorley, who leapfrogged their opponents.