Marple sunk by
IN a game in which three batsmen were the main players, Grappenhall’s James McCoy produced a stunning display of power and timing to inspire his side to victory over Marple at Broad Lane last Saturday.
McCoy struck 17 fours and three sixes in an innings of 96 from just 54 balls faced, taking the game away from Marple.
Home skipper Liam Parkinson elected to field first on winning the toss on a glorious July afternoon. The home ground looked in excellent fettle, with a lightning fast outfield. However, despite this, the boundary had been brought in by up to thirty yards on the Broad Lane side.
After Jim Morgan was caught behind in the first over, the first of the three batsmen to influence the game, Andrew Hall took charge.
With solid support once again from Ryan Lindsay, Hall dominated proceedings with a series of glorious strokes all round the wicket.
Twenty boundary fours and one effortlessly stroked six flowed from his bat, as the second wicket added 103.
After Lindsay fell for a battling 21, Hall was joined by skipper Mark Bennett, who looked to be settling well.
A mistimed pull off the belatedly introduced Matthews accounted for Bennett (5), and Hall fell soon afterwards for a superb 109.
When Mark Makin was well caught for a single at 144 for 5, Marple were once more in danger of being bowled out early.
Paul Wood (26) continued his good form though, and with Eliot Young chipping in with a useful 21 and Chris Wood 16 not out, a respectable total of 208 was posted.
After Hall’s excellent knock, this was probably somewhat below par in good batting conditions.
For Grappenhall, left arm seamer Sam Guest toiled through almost 28 overs, always giving his captain some control, to finish with 4 for 85.
Alex Matthews, possibly indignant at being left until the 34th over, ran in hard and took a determined 4 for 37.
On the resumption, Marple had a moment of hope when Adam Roylance (0) mistimed a pull stroke from the final delivery of Sam Harbinson’s first over.
The powerful James McCoy was not fazed by this early setback, and proceeded to make a mockery of the target.
It mattered not where the ball was pitched, as even from the first delivery he faced, it disappeared to all parts of the ground. In a stand of 106 for the second wicket, McCoy (95) dominated the scoring even more than had Hall earlier.
He was out five runs short of what would surely have been one of the fastest ever centuries in Premier League history.
With 86 of his runs coming in boundaries, all bowlers were put to the sword. When Hall caught him at slip off Andrew Greasley, Marple were relieved.
Marple’s optimism was short lived though, as the third of the day’s main batsmen, former Lancashire man Richard Green immediately took charge.
Green had been content to watch as McCoy had launched his fireworks, but now he didn’t allow Marple a foothold back into the game.
Despite Warwick Abrahim ( 11) falling at 150,