CRICKET: ALDERLEY Edge have moved up to fourth place in the Cheshire ECB Premier League with victory in a high scoring game against Toft.

In an extraordinary run feast at Moss Lane that yielded almost 570 runs in just over six hours play, prolific opening batsman Mark Currie progressed to 871 league runs for the season after scoring his fourth century.

Toft decided to bat first on a good looking batting strip after some good weather at last had the Alderley ground looking a picture.

The Toft batsmen made the most of the conditions with consistent stroke play that had the scoreboard moving along nicely, promising a big total from the visitors.

Adam Carolan, Sean Mudalige and Andy Bones all made fifties, but some useful spin bowling from Mark Warnes and Alan Day, collecting five wickets between them, managed to keep the Toft score to reasonable bounds.

A target of 283 runs in 55 overs was a slightly daunting target for Edge but openers Alan Day and Currie looked in confident mood from the start, putting on a century stand for the first wicket.

Day eventually went for 55 off 74 balls but Currie carried on his remarkable run scoring form of recent weeks with yet another century.

Sohail Rauf contributed a swift 36 but when Simon Elliott joined Currie there was still plenty to do.

The home supporters did not have too much to worry about in the end, as Edge got home with more than five overs to spare, Elliott and Currie sharing an unbroken stand of 106 for the fourth wicket.

Elliott scored 59 off 65 balls, and the outstandingly consistent Currie ended on 104 off 125 balls, as Edge powered to a remarkable seven-wicket victory that left the Toft supporters disappointed that their biggest total of the season had yielded only 12 points.

This win moved Edge up to the heady heights of fourth with five games still to play and Widnes the visitors to Moss Lane next Saturday for a 12.30pm start.

Alderley now find themselves just 26 points behind leaders Neston in the most closely-fought Cheshire ECB Premier league title battle in years.