Stubborn duo’s stand limits Marple’s return
AMarple 205 FOR 8 (50 overs) 15 pts, winning draw against Christleton 143 for 9 (50 overs) 6 points STUBBORN, unbroken tenth wicket stand, lasting ten overs, between Joe Wells and Christleton wicketkeeper Scott Graves denied Marple outright victory at one of the most attractive grounds in Cheshire last Saturday.
Instead, the vistors had to be content with the lion’s share of the spoils and a winning draw.
Once more, appearances can be deceptive. It looked to be a perfect day for batting in the mid May sunshine, but although Marple made an excellent final score of 205 for 8, batting was never easy throughout the afternoon.
The highest individual score was made by Marple’s Max Fitzgerald, with Grant Hodnett striking 42, and Connor Ramsay 38.
For Christleton, Josh Morgan-Jones top scored with a battling 45, and Tom Wells 28, with extras contributing 26. There were five ducks in the home response, the neighbouring pond providing suitable inspiration!
Ramsay and Hodnett appear to enjoy batting together, and here they followed up their 86 run partnership at North East Cheshire with another 57 good runs.
This second wicket stand produced the game’s most attractive batting, with Ramsay playing some glorious drives, and Hodnett threatening to repeat his mass six hitting of two weeks previously.
However, after one huge maximum, was deposited in the far field by Hodnett, the home first and second change attack of Hazlett and Hassan settled into a nagging and awkward line and length, the ball just not coming onto the bat. From 78 for 1, wickets fell at regular intervals to leave Marple at 128 for 5.
There then came the second substantial partnership between Max Fitzgerald and Jacob Noakes.
The former was the more fluent, and he played an attractive and valuable innings.
The sixth wicket added 48 runs to take Marple towards the magic 200 mark, thought by sages to be a more than par total in the conditions.
Jack Grundy weighed in with an easy looking 15 not out, and Marple were pretty happy with 205 for 8.
Hassan, 2 for 44, Hazlett, 2 for 48 and Dowling 0 for 38 from 12 overs made batting tricky at times, and Jack Harding bowled a mixed bag to finish with 3 for 48 from his 8 overs.
The home scorecard had an odd look to it after the break. A hostile Will Fraser-Smith bowled Max Dunbavand and Connor Brown for ducks.
Meanwhile, Jack Grundy appeared to twist his ankle after just one delivery, his over being completed by Tom Reeve.
Mubashir Hassan decided on all out attack, and he made a rapid 19, but Grundy returned, Hall placed Bennett in the deep, and the batter duly obliged, hitting the ball straight down the fieldsman’s throat at long off.
At 33 for 3, extras already made up 14 runs, and the fourth wicket stand between MorganJones
and Tom Wells gradually established itself. Neither player was ever fluent, and both were almost strokeless against Joe Cash, who delivered his 15 overs, and took 1 for just 17!
The victory target appeared out of reach, but could Marple take the wickets?
Hall grabbed a couple of sharp chances at slip off Grundy, Dowling holed out to Fraser-Smith, and Hazlett was yorked for 0 by Grundy to leave Christleton in the mire at 131 for 8.
When Bhadra was smartly run out by Bennett soon afterwards, victory seemed a formality for Marple. Joe Wells and Graves, displaying excellent temperament at courage in the face of a barrage from Fraser-Smith, then held on defiantly.
Fraser-Smith, flogging some life out of a sluggish surface, had 3 for 33, and the enigma that is Grundy with the ball, 4 for 35, including three wicket maidens.
Marple remain near to the top of division two, still unbeaten, and are on the road again next Saturday, 27th May, with a trip to Bollington.
Marple second eleven’s mini slump continued, as the side succumbed to a second consecutive defeat to a West Cheshire side.
This time, Oulton Park were the victors, as Marple went down by 44 runs at Bowden Lane.
The experienced home bowlers, Greg Marsland, 3 for 47, George Clarke, 3 for 35 and James Hirst 2 for 37, all did a fine job to restrict Park to 167 for 9. Openers Mark Johnson, 37, and Mike Cook, 33, added 64, and from 80 for 5, Ben Ainsworth, 26, and Damian steered their side to respectability, adding 64.
Marple made a stuttering reply, with only Mike Schofield, 62, showing any sense of permanence. When he was out at 120 for 8, the end was not long in coming.
Former Cheshire left arm spinner Owen Williamson kept Marple in check with 3 for 17, with league bogeyman Darren Sutcliffe picking up a handy 3 for 16 from his four overs!
There is plenty of ability in the second eleven, it would appear that application, and game management need some thought after a second middle and lower order batting collapse.
Marple/Compstall sides remained winless at Bowden Lane over the weekend, as the third eleven were comprehensively defeated by the always strong Didsbury third team. Although the margin of victory was by nine wickets for the visitors, there were encouraging performances from M/C players. Thebe made 28, Nuttall 44, and Rob Bradley 18 not out, marshalling the lower order to post a respectable total of 129 all out for the home side. The wickets were evenly shared amongst the Didsbury bowlers. They then knocked off the runs in just 23 overs, Daniel, 42 not out, Mashiter 46, and Griffiths, 31 not out, bringing up a comfortable nine wicket win. Ittig and Thebe were the pick of the M/C attack, despite being wicketless. Rich Hatley picked up the solitary wicket for M/C.