Promotion season ends with draw

AFTER securing promotion last week Grappenhall drew with Oulton Park in the last match of the season at Broad Lane.
The weather was good, it was a flat track and a good crowd turned up to watch.
The team itself was missing some key players, but nevertheless they gave a decent account of themselves.
Oulton won the toss and elected to bat first and reached 215 for 7 at the half way point. For Grappenhall the bowling was spread around, but the pick of the bowlers was Matt Titchard who bowled 21 consecutive overs taking 2 for 62 in the process, though the skipper himself chipped in with 3 for 25 near the end when Park`s batsmen were looking to pile on the runs.
Grappenhall made a steady start, but lost Mike Sambell with the score on 34 and Adam Roylance almost immediately after.
With opener Jimmy McCoy going well, a partnership developed with Richard Green, and it looked as if these two would take Grappenhall a long way towards their victory target. However with the score on 86 Jimmy was out for a very well made and composed 57. Gaz Burns joined Richard and the two took the score to 115 when Gaz was out for 17, but Andy Tetlow maintained the momentum until he too went for 17 and the skipper entered the fray.
At 143 Richard `holed out` in the deep, but Matt Titchard joined Liam and made a brisk 18. Thereafter the total was virtually out of reach, and with the loss of one more wicket the score closed at 192 for 8, with Liam undefeated on 22.
A feature of Oulton Park`s approach in the field was that their bowlers bowled a very consistent off side line, and with a very well set field cut off a host of well timed shots which otherwise would have reached the boundary. However, it`s now time to look forward to playing in the Premiership next season, when there will be a lot more tough matches, and hopefully Grappenhall will be strengthened during the winter months to meet this challenge.