The firsts had a bye, and those who travelled to Whalley Road to support the seconds were reminded that the next round will be a hard-fought affair.

Both openers, Paul Perry and Mohammed Nawaz, were back in the hutch before the score had reached double figures, but Mark Perry and Wasim Gulsar set about repairing the damage.

Any loose ball was despatched to the boundary, whose close proximity meant that a target of 200-plus would be needed.

Wasim was eventually castled for 38, but Immy Akhtar signalled his intent early on with a couple of neatly-times boundaries.

Perry, so often the backbone of the side, capitulated for 42, and the rain break disturbed Immy's concentration as he was finally out for 62.
Joe Martin may be short in inches, but doesn't lack courage or technique, and he showed he has mastered the pull shot, hitting two sixes and two fours behind square before being run out on 32.

A score of 255 all out reflected a solid team effort.

Abdul Haleem took two wickets with the score on 0, and wickets continued to fall on a regular basis, with Immy taking 6-49 as Read crumbled to 108 all out.

The seconds face the firsts in the league on Sunday as a dress rehersal for the cup clash the Sunday after.