BOTH Firwood Bootle and Ormskirk have qualified for the last 16 of the prestigious ECB National Knock-Out and may yet meet in an all Business Assistance Liverpool Competition quarter-final.
David Snellgrove's side beat Bamford Fieldhouse by just three runs after a classic limited-overs encounter at Wadham Road.
Useful innings by Jack Kelliher (47), Craig Prince (34) and Gavin Reynolds (29) enabled the Premier League pacesetters to post a distinctly useful 220-7 in their 45 overs, but the Saddleworth League side fought back strongly after tea.
Former Lancashire and Neston all-rounder Simon Marshall made 81 and Mark Chadwick contributed 48 as the visitors fell just four runs short of their target.
The most miserly of the Bootle bowlers was Ronnie Davis, who claimed 2-28 off nine overs, while Roger Smith (2-33) and Mark O'Connor (2-39) also played their part in securing a famous victory.
In the next round Bootle visit either Chester-le-Street or Scarborough.
Ormskirk enjoyed a rather more straightforward six-wicket victory over Kearsley.
The Bolton League team had no answer to the seam bowling of Nicky Caunce (4-13) and Mark Jenkins (2-16), and crumpled to 16-6 after ten overs before making a modest recovery to 75 all out in 28.5 overs
Although the home side lost four wickets in overhauling this target, John Armstrong's unbeaten 30 ensured that nerves were kept in check.
In the next round Ormskirk will play Northern League side Leyland who made the most of a seamer's wicket to beat Lytham by five wickets.
Luis Reece (5-16) and skipper David Makinson (4-9) cut through the Fylde side's batting and the visitors were dismissed for just 65.
Michael Rigby (2-9) led a Lytham fightback which reduced the home side to 28-5.
