Widnes are on the Up after derby loss in T/20
FOLLOWING a below par display against Warrington last Wednesday evening in the Joseph Holt Brewery T/20 Group Two fixture Widnes returned to winning ways on Saturday with an emphatic seven wicket victory over Upton in the Vivio Cheshire County League.
On a good batting wicket and fast Beaconsfield Road outfield, 119 was not a big target to set Warrington in 20 overs, particularly as Widnes were missing all their seam bowlers.
The Hewitt brothers Alex and Ben were the top scorers for Widnes with 19 and 17 respectively.
Warrington knocked off the required 120 for the loss of two wickets in just 15.4 overs with Johan Els hitting an unbeaten 50, an innings that featured four fours and four sixes.
With all their front line bowlers available, Widnes were a different proposition on Saturday.
Once again Chris Kirby won the toss an elected to field.
Sean Moore and Fayaz Ughradar took the new ball for the home side but could not make an early breakthrough.
It required the introduction of the spin of Marcus Fourie to break the Upton opening partnership when he trapped Matt Owen lbw for 10 with the score on 38.
Danny Moore’s medium pace took the next two Upton wickets, Chris McArthur caught by Fourie for seven and Chris Stowell-Smith caught behind by Kirby for 35, and it was now 63-3.
Upton were finding it hard to score off Danny Moore and their innings lost all its early momentum.
At the end of his 15 over spell, the ● maximum allowed this season following a new rule introduced by the County League, he had taken 4-28 and bowled eight maidens.
Ughradar returned and his pace saw off the Upton tail with Danny Naughton claiming the final wicket of Dan Owen who made a dogged 40 in the all out total of 156 in 46.1 overs.
Naughton and Matty Burns gave Widnes a solid start with Naughton by far the more aggressive.
He had made 25 with five boundaries when a misunderstanding saw him run out with the score on 32.
Fourie joined Burns and whilst pro- gress was slow neither looked in any trouble. The score had reached 72 when in the 25th over McArthur trapped Burns lbw for 24.
Fourie was joined by Ughradar and the run rate increased with the South African passing his half-century before being caught at slip off Neil Cross for 60.
Sean Moore with 14 not out and Ughradar with an unbeaten 30 saw Widnes home with some 11 overs to spare.
The 25 points gained sees the Beaconsfield Road men move to the top of Division One.
This Saturday will present a stern chal- ● lenge when they travel to Oxton. The following day they entertain Premier League Toft at Beaconsfield Road in the Cheshire Cup Knockout competition. ● Widnes’s second XI host Oxton seconds on Saturday following a five-wicket defeat at Cheadle. Widnes were indebted to their last three batsmen, Owen Price with 13, Will Myers who made 19 and Tom Keen with 41 not out giving the side any sort of total to defend. Nevertheless, the hosts had little difficulty in passing the 151 run target for the loss of five wickets. The second XI play a T/20 game at home against Alvanley next Tuesday evening at 6pm.