MACCLESFIELD CRICKET CLUB REPORTS, WEEKEND AUGUST 27TH/28TH

1ST XI JON CURWEN

MACCLESFIELD travelled to Sale knowing that league points were becoming more and more crucial as teams below them were starting to win games and that a relegation battle was taking shape.

Sale won the toss and asked Macc to bat first on one of their hybrid wickets installed by Lancashire for their training and second team games. The Sale openers Layton and Newton started impressively, bowling tight lines targeting off stump with good carry through to the keeper. Macc openers Rob Porter and Jack Massey were continually tested and their partnership lasted until the final ball of the ninth over when Newton had Porter caught at first slip. Worse was to come for the visitors in

Newton’s next over as Massey attempted to release the pressure with a pull shot, only to be caught at midwicket and John Birchall was caught low down at slip just 2 balls later making the score 8-3. Any thoughts of rebuilding the innings were shattered in the very next over when Sam Buckingham was adjudged to be LBW to Layton and at 9-4, Sale had effectively broken the back of the Macc innings.

Newton’s highly impressive spell (7-5-5-3) ended and captain James Cross and keeper Jack Mattson started to make runs off the change bowling taking the score to 34 when Barrowman bowled Mattson. Cross carried on batting positively despite the loss of new bat Brad Porter at 49-6 finding a partner in Josh Rajendran who occupied the crease for 44 balls despite being hit on the helmet early in his innings. Their partnership had reached 39 as Cross completed his halfcentury and it looked like Macc could be recovering to get a modest but potentially competitive total however Cross was given out LBW to Lawrence and Macc were 87-7. Rajendran’s long stay ended one run later and at 88-8, Macc were in danger of not getting three figures. Miles Bradshaw and Craig Melrose added valuable runs before Melrose fell at 100-9. Last pair Bradshaw and Ben Curwen hit a few boundaries to at least get Macc to the first batting points before Bradshaw was caught on the boundary giving Macc a total of 112.

To get any success having set Sale a target of just 113 to win was always going to require early wickets for Macc but openers Ashling and Davies batted superbly, not allowing the bowlers to get into any rhythm. Ashling in particular cut and drove the ball impressively showing the type of form that makes him the top run scorer to date in Division 1, closing in on 1,000 runs for the season averaging well over 50. Macc rotated the bowling but Sale continued to score freely ensuring that they were never under any pressure. Eventually Ashling did fall for 59 top edging a bouncer from Bradshaw to Massey at deep fine leg to make the score 102-1. Macc avoided a 10 wicket loss but couldn’t make any more breakthroughs before Sale finished the game to end a really disappointing day for the visitors.

2ND XI SIMON GRIFFITHS

MACCLESFIELD 2XI looking to extend their winning run welcomed Heaton Mersey to Victoria rd. Winning the toss skipper Tom Isherwood invited the visitors to bat.

It was tough cricket early on as the Macc bowlers of Otis Palmes and Ben Farmer strived for the early wicket and the Mersey openers Saleem and Shafiq dug in. When the break through came it was in the 13th over, courtesy of a run out as the batters got in a muddle and Salem was dismissed. The score at this juncture was 30.

Palmes, who had bowled with pace and not much luck, bowled Shafiq for 17 and was quickly followed by Sam Hughes having Cheema caught behind by Joe Moores. Mersey were now 43-3 off 19 overs and the home side in control.

There then ensued a 4th wicket stand of 67 between Faisal Maqsood and Hassnain Shah which was to prove crucial. Maqsood fell first for 45 in the 38th over with the score rate still under 3. Two overs later Henry Mitchell dismissed Shah to a very good low catch by Andy Moores

The last 10 overs fell into a pattern as Mersey endeavoured to increase the total, small partnerships would develop only for a wicket to fall. The visitors were all out in the final over for 155, a little higher than hoped for by Macclesfield but still an attainable score. The wickets were shared amongst the bowlers. Will Jennings took 2 for 24, Palmes 3 for 30 and Mitchell 2 for 34

Macclesfield opened their reply with Chris Moores and Palmes. A steady start was made but in the 8th over Palmes was bowled for 6 by Azhar with the score on 17.

There then followed a succession of dismissals that left Macc struggling at 39-5. Only Moores stood firm but when he was out for 34, with the score on 58, caught at 2nd slip, off

the bowling of Saad Zahid, the writing was on the wall for the home side.

The task was to hold out for a draw and getting some runs on the board to gain some bonus points. However it was not to be as only Mitchell put up some resistance, being the 9th out having score 15 off 59 balls. Macclesfield were dismissed for 84, a disappointing result in view of some excellent recent performances.

Pick of the Heaton Mersey bowlers was Maqsood with 4 for 23, ably supported by Shah and Zahid with two apiece

3RD XI PAUL FAIRCLOUGH

MACCLESFIELD 3s welcomed run away, undefeated leaders Knutsford 2s to Victoria rd and on losing the toss the hosts were asked to bat. It proved to be a critical decision as openers Alex Griffiths, making his first appearance of the season, and Robin Farmer went off at a pace putting on 107 for the first wicket in 12 overs.

Farmer was first to fall for 50 but the following batters continued to support Griffiths, keepimng the scoreboard kept ticking over. Oliver Beecroft hit a brisk15 but when his wicket fell with the score on 192-5 Steve Whittingham joined Griffiths and a quick 31 from the ‘General’ pushed the rate up again.

During this time Griffiths stood firm, taking quick singles to put pressure on the fielders. As the overs ran out he upped the scoring rate for the team but was cleaned bowled in the penultimate over for an excellent 99. The innings concluded with Macc posting 263-8 off their 40 overs, their highest score of the season.

A tough challenge for the league leaders, made more difficult when one of the openers was bowled by Ollie Pottinger in the 1st over. However, Rizwan Ahmed and Abdul

Qadoos steadied the innings until Charlie Ackerley was introduced and he opened with two wicket maidens as he dismissed both players.

As Knutsford tried to up the scoring rate wickets fell regularly however Wasiq Rasheed stood firm until he was caught off the bowling of Beacroft for a very good 93.

In the end the visitors scored 195- 8 off their allocated 40 overs, a 68 run deficit. A hard fought victory against a Knutsford team whose previous defeat was in July last year. Ackerley returned figures of 10 over 4 wickets for 38 runs, ably supported by Whittingham with 2 for 19.

4TH XI KEITH DIXON

SKIPPER Matt Cunningham took his Macclesfield 4th xi to

Over Peover on Saturday, looking to extend a winning run to a fourth in a row.

Peover’s idyllic

Cheshire ground looks like the epitome of quant village cricket, where gentle games of cricket are played out. But this game turned out to be a very competitive match fought right to the very end.

Over Peover are riding high in the league, second from top going into this match so needless to say they were keen to secure another win over a Macclesfield side they’d had a comfortable victory against earlier in the season.

But Cunningham and his side had aspirations to spoil the party. Peover won the toss and understandably chose to bat first. Macclesfield bowled well in the early stages and managed to contain their run rate well. Ginto George’s bowling deserved more wickets than it produced as did Radha Ramachandran’s spin.

Peover were lucky not to lose one of their openers when their umpire raised his finger to indicate LBW before he changed his mind and reversed his decision. The sound of passing tractors having apparently drowned out the sound of ball hitting bat first. Macclesfield pressed on though and there was some great bowling from Captain Cunningham who picked up two wickets and then from youngster Jacob Bates who also picked up two, for one he had Noah Bourne to thank for managing an excellent catch to secure the wicket. That was one of two catches on the day for Bourne.

Macclesfield eventually contained the home side to 178 for which included an excellent 47 from Alex Ingargiola and an unbeaten 65 from Ant Cunningham.

Yash Jain and Aryaman

Sharma opened in superbly measured style, setting up the Macclesfield response

Jain getting a good steady 29 and Sharma going on to get an excellent 73. A

neesh Prabhavathy went in at three and was on fine form pushing the run rate and getting Macclesfield within a shot of victory. Things got heated later in the game with the home side obviously desperate for a win, but Macclesfield held their nerve getting the required 9 from the last over and taking it down to the very last ball and the 179 for 4 from the full 40 overs. Prabhavathy eventing ending on 53 but it was a fine team performance, one played out in the face or significant pressure from the home side.