Nantwich Cricket Club 1sts lost ground in the Cheshire County League title race despite serving up a thriller at Whitehouse Lane.
Chasing the challenging target of 289 to beat Hyde CC, the Dabbers came up six runs short and had to settle for a draw that saw them slip to third in the Premier League table.
Jason Foulkes collected another five-wicket haul after Nantwich skipper Ray Doyle chose to bat first but a strong Hyde line-up still posted 288 all out on a very good batting surface.
Hyde’s Andrew Jackson then took two prize wickets – the in-form Ali Chughtai and Rob Jones – in two balls but Luke Robinson (50) and Yash Pednekar (81) put on 112 for the third wicket.
But after Robinson chopped on, Nantwich slumped to 201-8 after only 39 overs and seemed to be heading towards defeat.
But Scott Wardley, pictured, hit 30 and Ben Wright (30no) put on 59 for the ninth wicket and Mitchell Spencer then came in to try and secure an unlikely win.
Spencer clubbed two sixes in his unbeaten 20 but could not quite get the Dabbers over the line and, with nine wickets down, they had to settle for a draw.
Hyde got the extra bonus points and moved above Nantwich in the table while Didsbury stretched their lead at the top with a win over Oxton.
The 1sts travel to Bowdon this Saturday (August 9) while Oxton are the visitors to Whitehouse Lane for a game against a Nantwich 2nd team that recorded a thumping win at Hyde at the weekend.
After Dabbers skipper Alan Chesters won the toss and decided to field, Denny Morgan was the star of the show with the ball, taking 8-34 in a devastating 10-over spell that left Hyde 132 all out.
And that total provided no problems for Nantwich openers Philip Marsh and Jakob Jordan who made 65 and 42 respectively in steering Nantwich to a 10-wicket run.
And to complete a good Saturday, there was an equally emphatic and much-needed win for the 3rds who put Blythe CC 2nds into bat and skittled them out for only 70, thanks largely to a spell of 5-11 from Sam Williams.
In the reply, Owen Silvester hit an unbeaten 44-ball 51 as Nantwich cruised home by nine wickets.
And there was also a win for the Sunday 3rds as Jakob Jordan’s stellar run of form continued with a fine century.
Jordan (108) shared partnerships of 153 with Callum Pearson (63) and 69 with Arthur Bate (65no) as Nantwich amassed 263-2 from their 40 overs after being put in by Stockport Georgians.
In the visitors’ reply, Mark French took four wickets for the Dabbers, who bowled Stockport out for 174, giving the home side a 79-run victory.
There was disappointment, however, for Nantwich Women’s first XI, who suffered a five-wicket defeat at Lindow.
Grace Michell top-scored with 40 as Nantwich were bowled out for 134 after being put into bat and the home side reached their target with four overs to spare.
(Images by Graham Pearson)
Recent Comments