GRAPPENHALL kept alive their hopes of staying in the Cheshire County League premier division with a commanding victory at home to Oxton.
The win saw Grappers move up ninth place in the division but still only 22 points clear of the relegation zone.
Grappers batted first and posted a par 178 all out with 10 overs of their innings still left.
This represented something of a recovery as they were 138-8 at one stage.
Opener Adam Roylance top scored with 38 and number of other batters got into their early twenties.
Oxton were all at sea from the start of their innings as they were rolled for just 81 with almost 30 overs of the game still to play.
Veteran Sam Guest was the pick of the bowlers with 3-26 while Ed Barnes and Tom MacRury picked up two wickets apiece.
The win sets up the team for the final two games of the season, this Saturday at mid-table Nantwich and on the final day of the season at home to champions elect Alderley Edge.
Grappenhall 2nd had a much more difficult day at Marple as they lost by 42 runs. Chasing down 198 for the win, Grappers got off to a solid start but then lost wickets regularly. Gaz Burns top scored with 45 and Ross Arrowsmith took two wickets.
Grappers 3rd hosted Didsbury, knowing that promotion back to the premier division was already secured but a win would see them champions.
Didsbury posted a commanding 196 all out inside their 40 overs, Omar Arif picking up four wickets. Supported on by a large crowd, and many more watching at home on the live stream, Grappers went for the win from the off. Despite losing an early wicket, the top and middle order all dug in and fought hard to keep the side in touching distance.
Veteran Iain Wright was the pick of the bats with a classy 68, and he was well supported by a number of young players.
Over the last two years the team has been flooded with young players, supported by one or two experienced players, which has seen the youngsters develop rapidly, providing 1st and 2nd XI players of the future. Fittingly, the winning runs were hit by a 13-year-old youngster making his senior cricket debut to secure the title.
Grappers’ women’s team had done incredibly well to reach the Cheshire softball cup final in their first full season of cricket. Unfortunately, the experienced Neston came out victorious in a well fought game.
Warrington went down by 35 runs at Winnington Park.
Electing to bowl first, they restricted the home side to 156-9 in 50 overs.
Brad Roden, 2-39 and Chai Gadepalli, 2-20 were the pick of the bowlers.
But although opener Patrick Tyrrell hit 34 and skipper Ashley Scholes hit 35 in the mid-order, Warrington were all out for 121.
Warrington 2nd won by 88 runs at home to Port Sunlight.
Jagadeesha Jagadeesha hit 69 and Hari Krishna Kaja 60 not out as Warrington hit 218-7 declared.
They then bowled out the visitors for 130, Mahmood Mir taking 3-11.
Warrington 4th went down by 72 runs at Appleton – all out for 86 after the home side had hit 158-8.
Paul White hit 62 for Appleton and Zack Kilpatrick took 4-38 for Warrington.
Martin Othick took 5-8 for Appleton, with Matt Brady taking 3-22.
Lymm Oughtrington Park lost by 28 runs at home to Bowdon Vale in a match which surely must raise questions about the wicket.
Lymm won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first – bowling them out for 53 in 31 overs. Anthony Spaven took 4-11 and Shovan Chatterjee 3-24.
Then Lymm batted – and were back in the pavilion for a paltry 25 in 23 overs. No batsman reached double figures and five failed to trouble the scorers!
Lymm 3rd won by 97 runs at home to Northwich, hitting 148 and then dismissing the visitors for 51.
Lymm women’s team won by 65 runs at Toft.
Appleton lost by nine wickets at Middlewich after being bowled out for 59.
But Appleton 2nd picked up the points the easy way when Winsford were unable to raise a team and conceded.
Appleton 4th lost by five wickets at Barnton.
Glazebury lost by a massive 177 runs at home to Tranmere Victoria after the visitors had hit 283 in 44 overs.
Paul Birch took 4-80 and Simon Banks 3-28.
Glazebury started well in reply, but after the first wicket fell at 41 subsided to 106 all out.
Banks hit 31 and Anthony Meulman 30.
Glazebury 2nd went down by 132 runs at Lindow after the home side had hit 195-8.
Glazebury could only muster 63 in 30 overs.
