Barrow Cricket Club gave a better batting display against Fleetwood in the Northern Premier League last Saturday, but they couldn’t convert it into victory, as they were defeated by six wickets.

Having been rolled out for low totals in their first two matches of the season, Barrow mere much improved in the middle after being put in to bat, as they posted 196-7 from their 50 overs.

The pick of their batsmen was opener Toby Mowat, who gave them a platform with an excellent 81, an individual score greater than the whole team managed against Netherfield the previous week.

There was also 43 from Daryl Wearing in the middle order, while Alex Ryder returned figures of 3-28 to occasionally peg the hosts back at Ernest Pass.

In Fleetwood’s reply, Barrow very much looked in the game when the visitors were 92-4 after Justin Pringle dismissed Declan Clerkin, but an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 105 between South African Keegan Armstrong (72*) and Adam Sharrocks (41*) got the visitors over the line in the 40th over.

Mowat said: “They got off to a quick start and we were chasing throughout then trying to claw that back, but we were just a bit under-par today.

“It was good to get a few runs and we batted a lot better than we have in the last couple of weeks.

“We thought we had enough, but they’ve batted really well there, to be fair. Their overseas player held things together for them when they were losing wickets.”

Barrow’s weekend didn’t get any easier, after they were beaten by ten wickets by Netherfield in the Readers T20 competition last Sunday, when they were skittled all out for just 46.

In the Premier Division of the Cumbria Cricket League, Lindal Moor picked up their first win of the season, as 71 not out off 51 balls from Janith de Silva earned them a six-wicket win over local rivals Dalton.

Dalton were bowled out for a defendable 206 after being put in, with Jordan Woodend top-scoring with 37 and Lindal’s Jack Cumberbatch taking 3-20.

After being reduced to 18-2, the hosts dominated as opener Ryan Gilmour made 70, with 11 fours, before De Silva’s 71 brilliant knock, containing eight sixes and one four, got them over the line.

Furness picked up their third win on the trot as they bowled out Whitehaven for 104, with Jordan Buchanan taking 5-15, before cruising to their target in just 26 overs for a five-wicket victory.

Millom fell to a 119-run defeat at Cleator after a disappointed batting display that saw them dismissed for just 67, in reply to the home side’s 186-9 inside just 27 overs.

Elsewhere in the division, Jonathan Norman took 6-22 in Cockermouth's nine-wicket thrashing of Keswick, Carlisle defeated Egremont by six wickets, thanks to 81 not out from Mike Stack, while Wigton were defeated by 29 runs in a low-scoring match against Workington.