It proved to be a busy day of Isle of Man Cricket Association league action on Saturday, with five games taking place in the Premiership and Division One.

In the south of the island, Castletown saw off the challenge of Crosby by three wickets in the top flight.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, finishing their allotted 40 overs with 122 runs for the loss of eight wickets. In reply, Jaco Jansen starred with the bat for Town as he ended the day on 65 not out, helping his side reach 124 for seven in 36.3 overs.

In a low-scoring affair at the opposite end of the island, Ramsey defeated Finch Hill by two wickets at the Grammar School. The visitors batted first but were dismissed 75 all out in 23.2 overs, with George Burrows top-scoring with 15 runs. Rob Pooley led the reply for the northerners, ending 36 not out as he ensured his team reached 77 for eight to claim victory.

By contrast, Cronkbourne surpassed the 200-run mark during their victory over Valkyres at Mullen-e-Cloie.

The home team won the toss and elected to field. Will Wood led the charge for the visitors as he scored 60 runs off 57 balls, aided by 29 and 26 from Matthew Ansell and Josh Clough respectively as they reached 208 all out in 38.4 overs. In reply, Valkyres lost three wickets early on to leave themselves facing an uphill task but Wasim Khan and Shahid Rafique steadied the ship with scores of 36 and 33 respectively. In the end though, the hosts were dismissed for 143 all out and Cronkbourne won by 65 runs.

Making it a double success, Cronkbourne’s second string won against Castletown in Division One. The southerners won the toss and batted first, ending their 30 overs with 104 for 7 led by Michael Haywood’s 24 runs. Nic Maurel led the response for the home side with 29 and they duly reached 105 for 7 with 2.5 overs to spare.

The final game saw Ramsey win by seven wickets against Crosby. The latter started brightly and reached 41 before losing their first wicket. The rest followed quickly though and, despite Simon Callister’s 37, they were dismissed for 80.

Robert Weight was instrumental in the hosts’ reply, posting 38 runs and ending not out as the northerners eased to victory by reaching 81 for 3 in 22.4 overs to claim the points on offer.