Weekend Review: Greater Manchester Cricket League - Tameside and Glossop edition

The sun set on the 2019 season on Saturday.

Denton SL took the honours locally, having secured a League and Cup double a fortnight or so previously, but there was little joy elsewhere in the area.  Flowery Field and Denton West, on an intriguing final day, missed out on Premier Division cricket next year, and will feature in Premier 2 where they will be joined by Glossop.  Denton preserved Championship status, (which will also feature Stayley), at the expense of Droylsden, who can count themselves unfortunate to have fallen foul of the mid-season change of rules which saw them fall into Division 1 as the 10^thplaced side in Divisions 1A and 1B with the inferior record.  Dukinfield will also be relegated into Division1, the level at which new GMCL club Mottram will also play.  Micklehurst and Ashton, after mid-table finishes, will be at Division 2 level, whilst Ashton Ladysmith maintain Division 4 status.  The make up of next seasons Divisions is now clear and clubs will undoubtedly be making early preparations for the challenges ahead

Premier Division

With the title secured by Denton SL a couple of weeks ago and the relegation places already known the last day was about playing for pride.  The competitive nature at the highest level is probably seen by the fact that only Greenfield of the teams promoted 12 months ago have preserved their Premier Division status for 2020, with Monton; Stand and Royton playing in Premier 2 next year together with Woodhouses who were relegated after finishing 4^thin 2018. 

Monton 146ao Prestwich 147-4; Greenfield 126ao Roe Green 158ao; Flixton 90-0 Royton 86ao; Egerton 188-9 Denton SL 148ao; Stand 68ao Woodbank 95ao; Clifton 79-2 Woodhouses 77ao 

Division 1A

It was a sensational end to the campaign as 4 teams went into the final day chasing the 2 places which would mean Premier Division cricket next year.  Moorside visited Flowery Field knowing that a point would secure them the title whilst their hosts needed a bonus point win to take the silverware.  Similarly a bonus point win for Denton West would guarantee promotion as they visited Austerlands who were hoping to avoid the drop.  Glodwick, (in 4^thplace at the start of the day), needed a win and hope that results elsewhere went their way.  In an afternoon of real swings Flowery beat Moorside, but failed to get the bonus point leaving the two clubs both on 76 points with Moorside holding the advantage by virtue of a better net run rate.  Denton West won at Austerlands in a low scoring game, picking up 5 points, level with Moorside and Flowery but it left them missing out as they had fewer wins.  So things all hinged on events at Glodwick who managed a meagre 112 as they faced Heywood. But their attack came up trumps as they ran through the visitors for 74, picking up 6 points in the process and in doing so jumped three places to take the title. The table ended with the top 4 teams spilt by only a single point as Moorside joined Glodwick in next year’s Premier Division, leaving Flowery and Denton West in Premier 2.  Down at the bottom, Unsworth finished the season winless and are joined in Division 1 by Austerlands.  Denton preserved Championship status by virtue of a better record than Droylsden as the 10^thplaced teams in Divisions 1A and 1B. 

Brooksbottom 124ao Unsworth 34ao; Denton 195-6 Swinton Moorside 197-3; Flowery Field 146-6 Moorside 145ao; Glodwick 112ao Heywood 74ao; Austerlands 73ao Denton West 90ao; Uppermill 75ao Glossop 77-4

Division 1B

The top two, Heyside and Astley, knew that a win would secure promotion to the Premier Division, with Heyside having the added incentive that winning points would secure them the title.  Astley did the business with a convincing win over Whalley Range and took the silverware as Heyside slipped up at Stayley.  Heyside knew that a bonus point win for Edgworth would see the Bolton team better the Little Hey Street club by virtue of a better net run rate. As things turned out Edgworth failed to pick up the bonus point meaning that Heyside can now look forward to the Premier Division next year.  At the bottom Droylsden won but as 10^thplaced team with an inferior record to Div 1A Denton, (but albeit by only two points), they will now play in the 4^thtier, (Division 1), next year, joining Dukinfield and Thornham.  

Astley & Tyldesley 245-7 Whalley Range 144ao; Bury 196-8 Westleigh 47ao; Droylsden 174ao Walshaw 124ao; Dukinfield 95ao Edgworth 96-6; Thornham 75ao Greenmount 79-1; Stayley 202ao Heyside 186ao

Division 2A

Both Shaw and Elton had already secured promotion at the start of the day’s play with the only question to be decided being the destination of the title.  Shaw knew that a win would give them the honours and they duly secured this with a very comfortable 8 wicket conquest of Bury 2^ndXI.  Just below them Winton had already secure their spot in Division 1 with the other place between Prestwich 2^ndXI; Littleborough Lakeside and Micklehurst. Defeats for both Lakeside and Micklehurst settled this issue as Prestwich overcame East Lancs PM and in doing so are the only 2^ndXI involved in the 4^thtier next year. With no relegation all the other games had little to play for although Werneth, after a desperate mid-season run, finished the campaign strongly, (making it 4 wins in a row as they defeated Elton in a close game), and finished in 8^thplace.

Elton 161-7 Werneth 168ao; Glossop 68-3 Micklehurst 64ao; Prestwich 2^ndXI 86-7 East Lancs PM 85ao; Roe Green 2^ndXI 87-3 Littleborough Lakeside 85ao; Winton 60-3 Elton Vale 59ao; Shaw 82-2 Bury 2^ndXI 81ao

Division 2B

Nothing remained to be decidedat start of play with champions Friarmere and runners up Stretford guaranteed a place in the Championship.  Friarmere, (which as a Club has had a great season at both junior and senior levels), topped the 100 point mark after crushing Greenfield 2^ndXI, who remained winless for the season.  Stretford, SW Manchester and Oldham will move into Division 1.  As with former CLL and PCL colleagues Werneth, Ashton had a good end to the season, winning 4 consecutive games, after they beat Oldham.   

Deane & Derby 218-7 SW Manchester 207ao; Denton West 2^ndXI 126-8 Tottington 124ao; Edenfield 245ao Wythenshawe 108ao; Whalley Range 2^ndXI 92ao Stretford 112ao; Ashton 130-5 Oldham 129ao; Friarmere 71-2 Greenfield 2^ndXI 67ao

Division 3 East

Champions Saddleworth wrapped up the season with a convincing win over Dukinfield 2^ndXI and will be joined in Division 2 next year by Denton SL 2^ndXI and Stand 2^ndXI.  Long time favourites Springhead, in 2^ndplace for almost the whole season, missed out on the upwards move after Radcliffe, (in Div 3W), won to also gain promotion. Werneth 2^ndXI finished in 3^rdplace, but cannot move up as their senior team will be featuring in Division 2 next year.

Denton SL 2^ndXI 133-3 Denton 2^ndXI 129ao; Heywood 2^ndXI 118-8 Stand 2^ndXI 158-9; Unsworth 2^ndXI 69ao Springhead 70-1; Saddleworth 62-2 Dukinfield 2^ndXI 58ao; Werneth 2^ndXI 222-9 Flowery Field 2^ndXI 90ao; Oldham 2^ndXI 48ao Glodwick 2^ndXI 49-2

Division 4 East

Ashton Ladysmith 171ao Friarmere 2^ndXI 273-6; Failsworth Macedonia 228-5 Ashton 2^ndXI 142ao; Woodhouses 2^ndXI 66ao Stayley 2^ndXI 67-7; Royton 2^ndXI 90ao Newton Heath 91-3; Heyside 2^ndXI 228-7 United Stars 231-3; Moorside 2^ndXI 115-2 Thornham 2^ndXI 111ao

By Martin Frost