AMBLESIDE United kept up the pressure on table-topping Norcross and Warbreck and moved within a point of second-place Wyre Villa as they demolished fellow Cumbrians Hawcoat Park 7-1.

With three first-teamers missing, Simon Rawnsley’s first half hat-trick put Ambleside well on the path to success, opening the scoring after five minutes when he beat a defender to a cross and directed the ball into the corner of the net.

He fired his second in to make it 2-0 and after 20 minutes Lloyd Trippitt got the third.

Rawnsley completed his hat trick when he latched onto a long pass and his shot gave the home keeper no chance for a 4-0 half time lead.

A corner from Aaron Helliwell was played out to Gary Baker, whose 30-yard scorcher made it 5-0.

Zach Clark scored Ambleside’s sixth goal before Hawcoat Park pulled one back, but 16-year-old debutant Ryan Close scored from the edge of the area to complete the rout.

A Gareth Jones double within the first 20 minutes of the game allowed Dalton United to move up to 11th in Division One. Jonathan Booth pulled one back in the 55th minute but Dalton hung on to win 2-1.

Meanwhile the Cumbrian sides had a tough time of it in the first round of the West Lancashire Football League Challenge Cup.

Milnthorpe Corinthians lost 3-1 at home to fellow Division Two strugglers Barrow Wanderers. Elliott Bousefield scored for Corinthians but strikes from Craig McIlvogue, Rob Loughran and Scott Beckman were enough to send Barrow into round two.

Steve Errington and Tom Aspin cancelled each other out in Gsk Ulverston Ranger’s home tie to Bolton County before Aspin got his second for the Lancashire side to make it 2-1.

Bolton’s win was completed when Ormrod scored as Ulverston crashed out of the cup.3 Askam United were the third side from the county to be dismissed from the competition as they lost 2-1 at home to Whinney Hill. Jordan Rayner got the goal for Askam but Darren McKenzie and Adam Smith’s goals proved decisive