Ughradar and Fourie star as firsts stay top
WIDNES Cricket Club first XI maintained their lead at the top of the Vivio Cheshire County Cricket League First Division with an emphatic nine-wicket victory at Oxton on Saturday afternoon.
Rain delayed the start of the encounter, and when the umpires decided conditions were fit to start at 3.45 pm, the game was reduced to 30 overs a side.
Fortunately for the visitors, captain Chris Kirby won the toss and asked Oxton to bat first.
Without the Moore brothers, absent due to Sean’s marriage, the new ball was entrusted to Fayaz Ughradar and Benjamin Hewitt.
Ughradar made an early breakthrough when he caught and bowled Marc De Brabander in his second over with 14 on the board.
With Hewitt proving somewhat expensive, skipper Kirby introduced the spin of Danny Naughton and in his second over he trapped Dane Williams lbw for six.
A score of 36-2 soon became 41-3 when Oxton skipper Jack Smith was caught by Matty Burns at midwicket for 21, a second wicket for Naughton.
Nine runs later, Ughradar took his second wicket, bowling Patrick Magann for two. Everything was going Kirby’s way as he introduced the spin of Marcus Fourie to replace Ughradar.
The South African all-rounder took the next five wickets in a devastating spell of seven overs which only conceded 12 runs.
Mahdi Quadri and Andrew Gibson were both caught behind and Greg Shillinglaw and Luke Filer were both stumped by Kirby who was having a fine game behind the timbers.
Fourie’s fifth wicket was James Fraser ● caught in the gully by Alex Hewitt for 14, leaving the hosts 99-9.
Some stubborn resistance for the last wicket brought the recall of Ughradar who promptly removed the defiant Chris Williams, caught by Fourie, for 46. Oxton were all out off the last delivery in their final over for 115.
Kirby elected to open the batting with Ughradar partnering Naughton.
They made an aggressive start and had rattled up 18 when Naughton misjudged a pull and was caught for 10.
Enter Fourie and in a wonderful partnership with Ughradar which saw both scoring all round the wicket they saw Widnes to victory with 10 overs to spare.
Ughradar finished 55 not out, an innings which featured nine fours and a six. Teammate Fourie chipped in with an undefeated 46 clubbing five fours and one maximum.
This Saturday Widnes welcome Bollington to Beaconsfield Road with the seconds travelling to Brooklands. Both matches commence at 1pm.
Widnes’s second XI game against their counterparts from Oxton last Saturday was cancelled following heavy rain.
Meanwhile, Widnes conceded their Cheshire Cup tie against Toft on Sunday afternoon due to unavailability and injury.
This Sunday the third string entertain Oxton’s third XI at Beaconsfield Road. That match has a 2pm start time.