GRAPPENHALL snatched victory by six runs in their Vivio Cheshire County League game at Bowdon.
Opener Adam Roylance hit 46 and Gaz Burns a breezy 48 as Grappenhall reached 175-9 in the 40-over game.
Bowdon were 169-8 at the close, Roylance continuing with his good form with 3-26 and Arran McCabe taking 2-22.
Grappenhall 2nd also had an exciting finish when they defeated Oxton by nine runs at Broad Lane.
Grappers totalled 204-8 while the visitors accumulated 195.
Warrington chose to play two T20 games against Brooklands and lost them both. In the first, Brooklands hit 144-4 while Warrington replied with 117-5 and in the second, Brooklands hit 146-5 and Warrington were all out for 109.
Warrington 2nd played a 40-over game against the Brooklands second string and lost by 20 runs, Warrington reaching 152-9 in answer to Brooklands’ 172-9.
In the UKFast Cheshire League, Appleton’s bowlers were put to the sword by Hawk Green, who amassed 324-7. Harry Sygrove was the most successful bowler with 3-31. Appleton replied with 188, Rory Kellett top-scoring with 61 not out, Adam Pearson hitting 39 and Ed Sygrove 36.
The final total represented something of a come-back as at one time Appleton were languishing at 75-7.
Lymm Oughtrington Park hit 167-4 against Ashley, with strong performances from Nick Chadbourne, 73 not out, Travis Scholes, 30 and Jack Hughes, 43.
Ashley reached their target with two wickets to spare, Syed Khan taking 2-24 and Shir Wali 2-14.
Lymm Oughtrington 2nd were bowled out for 88 by Ashley 2nd who had earlier hit 113.
Glazebury romped home to a fine 104-run victory over Bowdon Vale at Hurst Lane.
Jack Warhurst hit 45 and Troi Sequeira 38 as Glazebury totalled 156.
Bowdon Vale’s batsmen had no answer to the pace of Sam Stanier who 5-9 in six overs as the visitors collapsed to 52 all out. Kyle Keeble chipped in with 3-16.
Warrington 3rd were well beaten at Stockport Trinity, collapsing for 76 all out with only Umer Zeb, 26, reaching double figures. Trinity hit off the runs for the lost of one wicket.
Women’s cricket
APPLETON scored something of a coup by defeating a strong Cheshire Women’s League representative team.
Indeed, it did look like the bowling strength of a youthful League XI would prevail when two wickets in an over from Emily Stones reduced Appleton to 47-6. However, opener Laurie Sheridan remained at the crease, with just seven runs to her name, and she would go on to play a vital role in turning the match around.
Initially, Sheridan and her seventh wicket partner Rebecca Othick had to survive a period when the bowlers beat the bat numerous times, with Molly Price especially unfortunate in this regard. However, the scoring rate soon accelerated, and by the time Sheridan fell for 37, the pair had added 60 and only 23 more were required. Some more confident stokes from Othick and number nine Katie McLean duly completed the victory with five balls in hand.
The lively weather certainly played its part, with an overnight thunderstorm forcing the pitch to be changed after water seeped under the covers, and play commenced on a drying pitch where batting was difficult. Several balls rose sharply from a length, and with some excellent fielding to back up the bowlers, the League XI were struggling at 53-6 at one stage. This was of course the day the League XI were meant to play the MCC, and with MCC duty bound by tradition to bat first, any star-studded MCC batting line up would certainly also have struggled with those batting conditions.
As batting became easier, there was an excellent innings from Beth Caunce in the closing overs of the first innings. Her unbeaten 47 was a very technically correct knock – scarcely did she hit the ball in the air or give the bowlers any other hope of taking her wicket.
Appleton’s bowlers were backed up by some superb fielding, with the wickets falling via eight catches and a run out. Othick’s slip catch and Abbey Gore’s catch off her own bowling were perhaps the most eye-catching moments.
