Defeat puts Macc into the drop zone
ON a hot summer’s Saturday, Macclesfield CC were back on the road, this time away to tough opponents Chester Boughton Hall.
The hosts won the toss and put Macc into bat.
Oli Marsden and John Birchall settled in well, pushing the singles and pouncing on any loose bowling. Chester were bowling well however and didn’t give Macc any freebies.
As Macc’s openers calmly went about their business it became apparent the wicket had no real demons in it and a good first innings score would be needed.
Birchall started striking the ball well, hitting a few powerful boundaries before departing for an entertaining 47 when Chester’s leg-spinner, Jack Williams, bowled him. The score was now 82-1.
This brought Macc’s overseas player, Nick Bertus (sponsored by Chrome Motors) to the crease. Nick applied himself well early on and then hit some well timed shots to the fence.
He and Marsden displayed both intelligent and resilient batting, taking calculated risks, building a very strong platform for the visitors.
The pair added 112 for the second wicket before Bertus was caught on the boundary for a deserved 56.
Macc were now on 194-2 and were now setting their sights on 250.
However, not long after Bertus was dismissed, Marsden was bowled by Ash Davis for a determined 78.
Porter added a few more runs but Macc kept losing wickets towards the end of the innings and couldn’t finish with the crescendo they’d been hoping for.
They finished on 230-6 off their 55 overs, which was a good attempt against a disciplined bowling attack.
In the field Macc just couldn’t get going. Early boundaries from class batsman Warren Goodwin and Rick Moore set the tone for Chester’s run chase. Goodwin was batting imperiously, timing good balls for four and sending loose balls for huge sixes.
Moore played some very well practiced reverse sweeps, but gave Macc a chance on one occasion, when Barron unfortunately just couldn’t hold on to a diving catch at backward point.
Macc kept changing the bowling in an attempt to find that much needed breakthrough but it just wouldn’t come. Chester passed the 100 mark and continued to pick up boundaries at will.
Macc did eventually get some respite though when Marsden trapped Moore LBW for 55, leaving the score on 143-1.
Next over Marsden almost struck again when he induced the outside edge off Chester’s captain, Lee Dixon, but Macc just couldn’t hold on to the sharp chance behind the stumps.
Dixon went on to pick up some boundaries and any hope of picking up a few wickets in what was becoming a procession of a run chase, bypassed Macc.
Goodwin was at his best and closing in on yet another century against the East Cheshire outfit, not giving any chances along the way. He eventually reached his three figures in what was a masterclass of batting.
The visitors did manage to dismiss him however, for 116, when he held out to a good catch from Chris Moores at long on, off the bowling of Sultan Raja. Then not long after Chester confirmed the win, crossing the line with eight wickets still intact.
This defeat moves Macc into the relegation zone and the team now has to pick up some much needed wins with just eight games to go, in what is a very congested bottom half of the table.
Macc are next in business on Saturday, when they host Hyde at Victoria Road in a game brought to you by Fever and Boutique nightclub.