Green pounce upon Appleton captain’s curious call to field
ON yet another glorious day for cricket the Green entertained Appleton, with the ground looking resplendent and the wicket baked hard it came as a huge surprise that on winning the toss the Appleton skipper invited the Green to take first knock.
The Greens skipper, Josh Hampson opened the innings with Dylan Heginbotham against Appletons opening bowlers Kellet and Aslam, neither batsmen appeared in any trouble and with some fine shots and excellent running they kept the scoreboard ticking over.
With the score on 66 Hampson was unlucky to be run out for 27 when the ball came off the bowlers hand and hit the wickets, next to the wicket was Peter Richards who showed his intent from the outset with a variety of shots all round the wicket and with Heginbotham continuing in his rich vein of form the pair took the score to 114 when Heginbotham play an uncharactaristic shot and was bowled by Jackson for 47.
Jack Needham joined Richards and he too attacked the bowling from the outset with Richards now opening his shoulders, but, with the score on 153 he appeared to leave a ball from Sygrove and was bowled for a fine 52.
Against the run of play the Green had a mini collapse as they lost, including Richards, four wickets for the addition of only 16 runs, with Ben Littler for 2, Sam Messih without troubling the scorer and Jack Needham for 23 leaving the Green on 169-6.
At this time, quite rightly, the visitors bowlers and fielders were feeling quite pleased with their efforts but the Green proved once again that they have great depth in their batting.
New batsmen Jordan Henderson and Jason Downey responded magnificently, what crisis, as both plundered the bowling to all parts of the ground with a successsion of boundaries and maximums which resulted in several lost balls.
The pair had added 133 runs when Henderson fell for a quite magnificent 84 bowled attempting a scoop shot, 302-7, the innings finally closed on 324-7 with Jason Downey not out 76.
The Appleton response was led by Cooper and Pearson facing the Greens opening attack of Needham and Downey and it was the former who struck first when he bowled Cooper for 5, 24-1, new batsman Lomas looked completely out of sorts when he too was bowled Needham for a duck, 38-2.
Pearson became Needhams 3rd victim when he was trappped lbw for 39, 64-3, with no addition to the score George Ridings bowled Morrison for 1 and in the next over James was bowled by Henderson for a duck, 65-5.
Henderson then removed Aslam and A. Jackson to leave the visitors teetering at 75-7 having lost 5 wickets for the addition of only 24 runs, Ed Sygrove and Rob Kellett got their heads down and clawed their way out of humiliation until Downey was brought back into the attack and he removed Sygrove, lbw, for a very valuable 36, 124- 8.
Meanwhile Kellett was playing an excellent innings shielding the tail and at the same time playing some excellent cricket shots.
Next to fall was H. Sygrove bowled Needham for 4, 164-9, in the final over Henderson removed P. Jackson for 5, 188 all out, to record a victory for the Green by 136 runs, Kellett closed on an excellent 61 not out.
The pick of the Greens bowlers were Jack Needham and Jordan Henderson with 4-42 and 3-30 respectively.
The Green are away next Saturday to Stockport Trinity, wickets pitched 1pm and on the Sunday are at home to Upton in the semi-final of the Cheshire Shield Cup, once again wickets pitched 1pm.