Alvanley in form to win superb clash
ALVANLEY returned to winning ways on Saturday with a thrilling 25 run win over Mobberley after a month of frustrations.
A very wet pitch emerged from the covers and Mobberley asked Alvanley to bat first.
Another new pairing of Stephen Charles and Mike Rowlands opened the batting but found the going tough on a wet pitch and against decent new ball bowling.
They worked hard to weather the storm and got to the ninth over when Rowlands got frustrated and chipped a catch to mid-on.
Jimmy Ecclestone came in at three and the second wicket pair played really well, adding 56 with a gradually-increasing tempo before Charles fell to a stopping ball – driving it to mid-off for a satisfying 34.
Ecclestone was trapped in front soon after for a pleasing 32 and when Chris Jones came and went, Alvanley had slipped from 75-2 to 89-4.
Simon Gee and Chris Charles did a great repair job. Gee worked singles while Charles flayed some powerful boundaries.
The pair added 49 in seven overs before Charles holed out for a sizzling 33 off 22 balls.
Again, one wicket brought about another. Gee fell soon after and this time the repair task fell to Andy Bennion and Sam Baxter. They ran really well and added 39 to take the score to 178.
Bennion went on to usher the tail and the result was an acceptable 199-9 in 50 overs. Bennion was out at the end for 37.
Mobberley’s openers flayed sixes and fours from the outset to give the Alvanley attack something to think about.
Chris Charles stuck to his areas, though, and had the overseas player Charlie Nield held at slip by Bennion for a bullish 28.
Robert Spilsbury kept going, smashing his way to 61 with three sixes and half-a-dozen fours.
Kenny Roberts came on and removed Nathan Wood and when Rob Fisher brilliantly held a catch of his own bowling to send Spilsbury packing, 118-3 was not so bad for the visitors.
Stephen Charles produced the ball of the day to make it 118-4 and two overs later, persuading Mark Goodstadt to hole out to Rowlands and it was now 128-5.
Abdul Aqueel and Younis Khan regained control for Mobberley but the spin twins were stacking up the dot balls and building pressure.
The pressure tempted Khan to pick out Bennion at long off and four balls later Stephen Charles took out Will Edwards’s leg stump making it 148-7.
Will Beresford-Ince was then brilliantly stumped by Gee off Fisher as the veteran spinner found considerable turn, leaving the last pair to find the winning 26 runs.
Aqueel burst to life but in going aerial hit a skyer up to long off. Ste Charles steadied himself and took the match- winning catch to spark great celebration from the Alvanley players.
Stephen Charles finished with 4-37 and Fisher 3-41 as Mobberley were skittled out for 174 in what really was a cracking game of cricket.