P78 CAMPION HITS TOP FORM FOR DAZZLING BAY
COLWYN Bay’s cricketers will look to maintain their amazing run of form in league and knockout action this weekend.
Currently enjoying a 30-point lead at the Liverpool Competition Division One summit, the Bay hope to extend their advantage when they visit Sefton Park on Saturday.
Then on Sunday, progression in the Welsh Cup will be the target of Sion Morris’s side when they travel to North Wales League club Buckley with a last 16 place in their sights.
Last weekend saw the Bay in awesome touch as they achieved a league and cup double over Southport-area outfit Ainsdale.
In a league tussle at Penrhyn Avenue on Saturday, Bay won the toss and elected to bat.
Despite losing captain Morris for six early on, Zack Gidlow and Adam Campion put on 143 for the second wicket.
Gidlow was second out for 52, but Campion went on to record his maiden first-team century for Bay, hitting 16 fours and three sixes in his 115-ball knock of 114, helping the home side set a formidable 226-6 from 44.2 overs.
As has been the case so often this season, the opposition then had no answer to the four-pronged Colwyn attack.
Ainsdale were rolled over for just 94 in 29.5 overs – and it would have been a lot worse but for a battling 36 from Pakistani all-rounder Adnan Rasool, who also claimed three wickets.
Ryan Holtby was Bay’s leading bowler with 4-25 off 12 overs, Samad Fallah collecting 2-40 and Paul Jenkins and Harrison Jones picking up a victim apiece.
The home side dominated the points 25-3 and will make the journey to Liverpool to take on Sefton Park this Saturday full of confidence with an eight-game unbeaten record behind them.
The following day Ainsdale returned to Rhos-on-Sea for a Ray Digman Knockout Trophy tie no doubt still smarting from the hammering they suffered less than 24 hours earlier.
The quick return encounter was considerably closer than the league massacre – but the result was another Bay win.
Colwyn won the toss and inserted the visitors, bowling them out for 181 in 42.2 overs.
Feature of the innings was a third-wicket stand of 88 between Andy Davies (57) and Sam Lucas (38).
Youngster Dale Rowley came to the fore in the bowling stakes, notching 4-18 off 5.2 overs and dismissing the dangerous Davies. Harrison Jones pocketed 2-22 and Fallah 2-33.
Bay were in trouble in reply at 39-4 before man of the weekend Campion (69) and Fallah (29) steadied the ship with a fifth-wicket partnership of 71.
Morris (29 no) and a quickfire 22 off 12 balls from Holtby, including two sixes, saw the hosts across the line on 184-6 off 34.2 overs.
Bay now advance to the quarterfinals.
It was not all gloom for Ainsdale last weekend as their seconds comfortably defeated Colwyn Bay seconds in the 2nd XI First Division.
Next-bottom Bay batted first and posted 187-6 declared off 45 overs, Dave Wallace (53), captain James Jones (50) and Sam Roberts (30) helping the visitors recover from 0-2, Sean Airey pouching 4-39 for the home team.
Ainsdale then coasted to 188-2 in 30.5 overs, Steven Cropper 83 not out and Philip Causey 57 in a 23-5 points split.
Bay host Rainhill this Saturday.