ATHERTON claimed their first league win of the season by knocking over Horwich on Saturday, with professional and captain Jesse Dinnie admitting: “We knew a win wasn’t too far away.”

The Premiership’s bottom side chased 156 to win by five wickets with a little over seven overs to spare at Higham Park.

Hosts Atherton were set up by Adeel Baig’s 6-49 from 18 overs as Horwich, who elected to bat, struggled on a tricky pitch.

Last man Liam Bones top-scored with 32 not out before a series of useful twenties and thirties saw Atherton home for the first time in 14 games.

With four to play, they are 18 points away from third-bottom Lostock as they bid to secure an escape which Harry Houdini couldn’t even dream of.

“For the local boys, it’s been a pretty big step up,” said Australian Dinnie, who has taken on captaincy duties alongside compatriot Harry Allanby since Callum Barlow stepped down at the season’s midway point due to other commitments.

“It’s been particularly frustrating because last year we won a lot of games, and this year we’d lost every one. But we kept on improving.

“At the halfway mark, you could see an improvement even though we didn’t have anything on the board.

“We were close against Walkden earlier in the season and Westhoughton too. We’ve challenged the top sides, and I reckon we’ve been involved in four very close league games.

“It was a pretty good feeling on Saturday. The boys were relieved, and it was a good night!

“If we can win maybe four out of five, that may give us a small chance. We haven’t given up hope yet.”

Dinnie spoke of a hard-fought contest against a Horwich side who won the Bolton League’s T20 competition earlier in the season and are fifth in the league.

“We probably should have had them for a bit cheaper than 155 because we had them eight for 70. But their big tall left-arm fast bowler came in and slogged a few.

“It wasn’t a great wicket, so we knew 150 would be a hard chase. It was pretty inconsistent, so you were always in the game with good lines and lengths.

“It wasn’t that we bowled unbelievably or they batted poorly. The wicket came into it as much as anything.”

Dinnie, who opened and scored 20, said: “Chasing, everyone who got in had to graft away.

“When I was out there with Callum, you never felt in. I think I faced about 60 balls, and never at any stage did I feel like I was in.

“The more times we get into tough games and situations like that, the more times we’ll get over the line.”

Dinnie is in his third season in the UK and has a British passport courtesy of his UK-born mother, and he could yet end the season lifting silverware.

Atherton face Walkden twice this weekend, including in the Peter Stafford Trophy quarter-finals on Sunday.

He added: “If we can win that, it would add a real highlight to the season. If we can finish off the season with a couple of wins, the boys would be pretty happy. That’s the goal right now.”