Marple 78 all out (40.2 overs)
1 point, lost to Nantwich 79 for 3 (17.4 overs) 25 points by 7 wickets
Marple will fervently hope that
Saturday’s comprehensive home defeat to a confident Nantwich side was the nadir
of the 2015 season. It is hard to imagine a day when anything further could
have gone wrong from a cricketing point of view, despite Mark Bennett winning
the toss and electing to bat on a seemingly good surface at Bowden Lane.
The Nantwich opening attack of
Jimmy Warrington and Adam Sydall would appear to amongst the most potent in the
Premier League in 2015. On Saturday, whilst left arm seamer Sydall was below
par, with a series of no balls and variable line and length, his partner Warrington
was right on target from ball one. The former Cheshire opening bowler is still
young, and looked in prime form. Stand in opener for Marple, George Pearson was
determined to get into line and battle, but he must have been aware that
Warrington was bowling a “heavy” delivery. Runs were hard to come by, and this
looked to be a day when the batsmen had to carefully try and see off the new
ball, giving the attack full respect. The modern way, however, is to try
and dominate quickly. This tactic was fraught with danger against a hostile and
accurate Warrington. Makin, Morgan and Young were soon all back in the
pavilion, comprehensibly bowled as Pearson watched in horror from the non
striker’s end.
Marple skipper Mark Bennett
joined Pearson, but Sydall’s waywardness was to be of no help to Marple.
Nantwich captain Ray Doyle, removed him from the attack and introduced the
miserly left armer Griffiths instead. Here is a bowler who is not really a slow
left arm spinner, but more a left arm medium pace bowler. He has remarkable
accuracy, and immediately settled into a spell of bowling which had all the
Marple batsmen in a state of complete uncertainly. It is worth recording that
in his final figures of 15 overs 10 maidens 4 for 15, there were only six
deliveries out of the ninety that were scored from. When Warrington was
rested, former IPL all rounder, Abishek Raut got his spinning fingers warmed up
after a couple of overs to provide useful support to Griffiths. The Marple
middle order, Paul Wood (24) excepted, could not get the ball off the square,
and when Warrington returned, he quickly cleaned up the tail to finish with 5
for 30 from 13.2 overs. 78 all out was a sorry tale of woe for Marple. The top
order lacked application, but not ability, and all will have been disappointed
to be dismissed so quickly, admittedly by a quality attack. Bennett may have
been unlucky, but Paul Wood was the only home batsman who looked to be in any
sort of touch, and he was stumped when deceived by Griffith’s dangerous even quicker
delivery.
The Nantwich response proceeded
serenely to the small target. Sam Harbinson was treated harshly, once more
finding the pitch too sluggish. Spinners Greasley and Eliot Young both bowled
tidily, but after Young had removed Simpson lbw, Lancashire starlet Liam
Livingstone was brutal. He lofted Greasley for 4 and 6, and then took 18 from a
Harbinson over when the Marple paceman was reintroduced. Possibly the
best moment of the day for the home side came when Greg Marsland bowled his
first delivery in first team cricket to Livingstone. Livingstone (33) had made
his T20 debut for Lancashire the previous evening, but carved his first ball
from Marsland to cover where Pearson took a fine catch. This was a memorable
wicket for the uncomplaining Marple seamer. Young then deceived Brown (24) to
bowl him at 73 for 3 to give Marple a solitary point from the game. Young’s
short spell of accurate left arm spin was a high point for Marple on a day they
will quickly want to forget as a 7 wicket victory for Nantwich came up in only
18th over.
Next Saturday sees a highlight
for the Marple supporters with a visit to Neston’s beautiful ground on the
Wirral, a 12.30pm start.
It was a different story for
the second eleven as George Clarke led his side to a fourth win from five
games, this time at the expense of local rivals Stockport at Cale Green. This
victory takes the side to the top of the second eleven premier league. On a
wicket that required concentration, Ryan Lindsay (50) made a second successive
half century as Marple reached a competitive 163 for 7 in the full 50 overs.
Most of the main batsmen were able to give support, but Lindsay’s knock was the
highest of the day on either side. Stockport got off to fast start despite Jack
Grundy picking up a couple of early wickets. Clarke kept cool though, and
introduced himself and Marple’s man of the season so far, the ageless left arm
spinner Andy Hayes. From 80 for 3, Stockport subsided to 109 all out, Hayes 5
for 38 (19 wickets so far this season) and Clarke 3 for 24 giving the
opposition nothing. They were superbly supported in the field, where keeper
Andy Wild was once more in top class form.
Marple thirds were involved in
an excellent game of cricket in bitterly cold conditions at Bowden Lane on
Sunday. Bramhall made 202, and Marple were in good shape at 123 for 2, Luke
Greasley 40 and Jamie Massey 43. However, a freak run out accounted for Matt
Leach (30) and the home side had to battle to a losing draw at 173 for 8.
The fourths were dismissed for
only 85 at Sale, skipper Rick Major 29 and Daniel (“DD”) Davies 18. Sale
slumped to 18 for 4, but recovered to win by five wickets. “DD” continued his
impressive start to the season with 3 wickets.
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