Weekend Review: Greater Manchester Cricket League

It was a busy weekend in the GMCL despite Friday’s scheduled T20 games falling victim to the elements

Both Denton West 1^st and 2^nd XI top their respective divisions as do Hadfield and Ashton.  The Cup competitions started on Sunday with Denton West and Glossop, progressing in the Derek Kay Cup although Denton SL exited the Lancashire KO Cup.

Premier:  

With Woodbank losing for the first time this season Denton West took the opportunity to move to the top of the table.  A fifth successive win preserved their 100% record as they comprehensively beat Astley & Tyldesley, who fell to bottom spot as a result. Astley batted first and were contained to a moderate 153-9 as the wickets were shared around a five-man West attack.  A target of just over three runs an over proved no problem with an opening stand of 89 between Andy O’Brien, (who finished with an unbeaten 62) and Uzzair Shah, (38), set hem well on the way.  On the fall of Shah Aaqib Uppal joined O’Brien and the pair took West home without further loss with 12 overs remaining. 

Denton SL are a single win behind West and enjoyed a comprehensive win over visitors Egerton. Liam Parkinson, (44), and Scott Kirwin, (49), made the early running and were backed up by the later order batsmen which enabled DSL to finish on 192-9. It was far too many for Egerton with the last nine wickets falling for 36 as Mark Selby ran through them, ending up with 6-17, leaving DSL winners by 129 runs.

Walshaw 190-6 Woodbank 189-9; Denton SL 192-9 Egerton 63ao; Prestwich 256-4 Moorside 88ao; Edgworth 84-0 Roe Green 83ao; Clifton 115ao Heyside 74ao; Astley & Tyldesley 153-9 Denton West 155-1

Premier 2: 

Flowery Field now stand third after a fourth win in five games, this time over Bury, enabled them to keep the pressure on leaders Heaton. Flowery gave the visitors a torrid afternoon and pro, Shreevats Goswami, showed his class with 107.  A sixth wicket partnership of 138 between Goswami and Bradley Edge, (59), was key to a final total of 264-9.  Bury had no answer in reply.  Mike Finan, (5-26) ripped through them and they fell for 77, leaving Flowery winners by a massive 187 runs.

Glossop had a tighter game at Glodwick, winning by 18 runs after totalling 189ao. The home side remain pointless after 5 games. Tim Rogers top scored with 38 for Glossop, and at the break an interesting game looked on the cards. When Glodwick fell to 99-6, with -prolific pro Mohsin gone, the game looked to be heading Glossop’s way, but a seventh wicket partnership of 70 kept the home side in contention. Four wickets then fell for two runs, as Will Hargreaves picked up 4-32.  The North Road side ended the day in fourth place.

Bradshaw 211ao Heaton 214-9; Brooksbottom 131ao Greenfield 133-3; Flowery Field 264-9 Bury 77ao; Flixton 265-6 Heywood 261-2; Shaw 137ao Stand 144-9; Glodwick 171ao Glossop 189ao

Championship: 

There was an exciting game at Higher King Street where Dukinfield went down by the narrowest of margins to visitors Elton. The home side would have been happy after limiting Elton to 147ao, (three wickets each for Joel Morton and Denuwan Rajakaruna). Dukinfield fell to 38-4 in reply, but patient knocks from Will Allan, (top scoring with 43) and Neil Mistry, (30), took them within 41 of the win with 24 overs left. Wickets continued to fall, and the last pair needed to put on 14.  They managed 12 until a jubilant Elton claimed the final wicket and victory by a single run.

Mottram have picked up recently and claimed a second win as they comprehensively beat visitors Whalley Range, who batted first.  After a decent start, reaching 55-1, they fell away as Ryan Fitton, (4-9), and three wickets each for Jordan Swann and Michael Scott left them with a very much below par 87ao on the normally high scoring Mottram ground. The home side fell to 18-3 in reply, but a partnership of 51, (occupying 18 overs), between Jordan Irons and Oliver Andrew took them within sight of the win, which was eventually accomplished by six wickets with 20 overs to spare.

Woodhouses top the table with a 100% record with pro Majid Majeed enjoying a great start and is already well on the way to 400 runs.

Winton 160-4 Royton 155ao; Friarmere 135ao Monton 91ao; Dukinfield 146o Elton 147ao; Westleigh 133ao Woodhouses 135-4; Stretford 247-7 Swinton Moorside 166ao; Mottram 88-4 Whalley Range 87ao

Division 1: 

Hadfield remained on top after a 23-run win over Stayley.  Cameron Ball continues to have a great season for Hadfield.  His 55 was the mainstay of their 149 as Chris Tipper and Nick Woodhead each got three wickets for the visitors. The game was in the balance at the break.  Two early wickets for Jonny Tranter put Stayley on the back foot, and despite 36 from Tipper the rest of the order had little answer to Ball.  His return of 5-43 saw them to the win and now leaves him with the impressive record of 26 wickets in five games. 

Droylsden went down to their first loss in four games in a narrow defeat at Saddleworth, but Hashan Gunathila had a remarkable day.  They totalled 237ao, with Gunathila, batting throughout, finishing with an unbeaten 109.  It was a competitive target.  Saddleworth fell to 123-5, with Gunathila taking 5-35, but stern resistance from Saddleworth took them to within 24 of the win when the eighth wicket fell. The tail wagged and the home team scraped over the line with a single wicket to spare.

Hadfield 149ao Stayley 126ao; Roe Green 2^nd XI 123ao Uppermill 111ao; Oldham 81ao Austerlands 252-4; Thornham 132-3 SW Manchester 130ao; Edenfield 157ao Golborne 91ao; Saddleworth 241-9 Droylsden 237ao

Division 2A: 

United Stars 308-7 Astley & Tyldesley 2^nd XI 143ao; Adlington 75ao Prestwich 2^nd XI 77-7; Radcliffe 58ao Daisy Hill 62-2; Worsley 148ao East Lancs PM 163ao; Darcy Lever 170ao Tottington 80ao; Heaton 2^nd XI 210-5 Deane & Derby 206ao

Division 2B: 

Micklehurst came off a distant second best on their trip to The Coppice, Werneth. The Reporter review last week highlighted the danger posed by Werneth pro, Dildar Shahzad.  And the warning was well founded.  Shahzad came in at 16-2 and batting through the rest of the innings ended up unbeaten on 111. It was his fourth century in five knocks and with Micklehurst hardly helping themselves, conceding 43 extras, Werneth ended up with 261-6.  Only Daniel Clayton, (51) offered much resistance in the reply and Micklehurst ended on 124ao, and defeat by 137 runs.

Denton went down to a fourth consecutive defeat, this time at home to Friarmere.  Alex Beeley, (66) top scored and was well supported by Harry Horsfall, (42), and Martin Leech, (40), as Denton set the visitors 229 for the win, and when Friarmere fell to 129-6, (Andy Mather 4-54), Denton looked odds on for a second win of the season.  But it wasn’t to be as there was no further success as the Friarmere seventh wicket partnership added exactly 100 to give them the victory.

Across town Denton West 2^nd XI emulated their senior team and picked up a fifth win and lead the table. It was an easy win over Glodwick highlighted by a good performance from Siraj Khan, (4-26)

Milnrow 118ao Littleborough Lakeside 114ao; Wythenshawe 93-3 Oldham 2^nd XI 89ao; Greenfield 2^nd XI 174ao Denton SL 2^nd XI 69ao; Werneth 261-6 Micklehurst 124ao; Denton 228-7 Friarmere 2^nd XI 229-6; Denton West 2^nd XI 76-4 Glodwick 2^nd XI 72ao

Division 3E: 

Ashton top the table with five wins.  They visited Glossop and piled up the runs batting first.  Hard hitting Richard Taylor led the way and his first century since returning to Rayner Lane saw him reach 104, (including 10 boundaries and four maximums).  Pro Ruman Ahmed picked up from this start and his first big knock for Ashton, (87), led to an imposing total of 281-6.  David Wilde anchored the Glossop reply, (79), but with Ashton skipper Dan Hawthorne taking 4-49 they fell well short as Ashton won by 103 runs.

Ashton Ladysmith visited Springhead and were set 164 for the win, (Three wickets each for Waqar Nisar, Paul Reynolds and Joe Walsh).  A decent opening stand of 45 in seven overs set Ladysmith well on the way but after tumbling to 89-6 they had to rely on Saeed Nazeer, (39) to get them past the winning post.  It was their second win of the season and sets the scene nicely when they make the short trip to Rayner Lane on Saturday. whilst Mottram picked up their third win, beating Woodhouses, (Sam Fazackerley 84) 

Elsewhere previously unbeaten Dukinfield were well beaten at Heyside 

Royton 2^nd XI 118ao Werneth 2^nd XI 129ao; Heywood 2^nd XI 122-7 Flowery Field 2^nd XI 121-8; Glossop 2^nd XI 178-8 Ashton 281-6; Springhead 163ao Ashton Ladysmith 165-7; Woodhouses 2^nd XI 158ao Mottram 2^nd XI 182-8; Heyside 2^nd XI 61-2 Dukinfield 2^nd XI 56ao

Division 4E: 

Saturday: Austerlands 2^nd XI 206ao Denton 2^nd XI 74ao; Failsworth Macedonia 206ao Shaw 2^nd XI 261-7; Stayley 2^nd XI 76ao Hadfield 2^nd XI 121ao; Moorside 2^nd XI 97-7 Saddleworth 2^nd XI 94ao; Ashton 2^nd XI 104ao Springhead 2^nd XI 66ao; Droylsden 2^nd XI 77ao Milnrow 2^nd XI 137ao

Sunday: Milnrow 2^nd XI N/A Shaw 2^nd XI; Hadfield 2^nd XI 166-5 Failsworth Macedonia 162-8; Austerlands 2^nd XI 200-8 Newton Heath 202-5; Springhead 2^nd XI 158ao Stayley 2^nd XI 95ao; Ashton 2^nd XI 207-7 Saddleworth 2^nd XI 166ao

Derek Kay Cup – 1^st Round Local Games

Denton West 375-6 (Shah 128; Nazir 122*) Brooksbottom 156ao (Khan 4-54); Glodwick 193ao Glossop 291-6 (Dale 110; Sonczak 89); Denton SL - bye

LCF Knock Out Competition: Clitheroe 233-3 Denton SL 250-7 (Silva 61; Moriarty 58).  Clitheroe won on DSL target.

****

THIS WEEK'S FIXTURES

Saturday – all 12.30 start

Premier:  Roe Green v Woodbank; Egerton v Edgworth; Prestwich v Walshaw; Moorside v Astley & Tyldesley; Heyside v Denton SL; Denton West v Clifton

Premier 2: Glossop v Shaw; Greenfield v Flixton; Glodwick v Flowery Field; Heaton v Brooksbottom; Heywood v Bury; Stand v Bradshaw

Championship: Whalley Range v Woodhouses; Monton v Dukinfield; Royton v Mottram; Stretford v Westleigh; Elton v Winton; Swinton Moorside v Friarmere

Division 1: Droylsden v Hadfield; Uppermill v Saddleworth; SW Manchester v Roe Green 2^nd XI; Stayley v Edenfield; Thornham v Oldham; Golborne v Austerlands

Division 2A: East Lancs PM v Heaton 2^nd XI; Radcliffe v Adlington; Astley & Tyldesley 2^nd XI v Prestwich 2^nd XI; Tottington v Worsley; Deane & Derby v United Stars; Daisy Hill v Darcy Lever

Division 2B: Denton SL 2^nd XI v Werneth; Oldham 2^nd XI v Greenfield 2^nd XI; Littleborough Lakeside v Wythenshawe; Milnrow v Denton West 2^nd XI; Friarmere 2^nd XI v Glodwick 2^nd XI; Micklehurst v Denton

Division 3E: Dukinfield 2^nd XI v Glossop 2^nd XI; Ashton v Ashton Ladysmith; Woodhouses 2^nd XI v Springhead; Werneth 2^nd XI v Heyside 2^nd XI; Mottram 2^nd XI v Heywood 2^nd XI; Flowery Field 2^nd XI v Royton 2^nd XI

Division 4E: Newton Heath v Failsworth Macedonia; Springhead 2^nd XI v Milnrow 2^nd XI; Denton 2^nd XI v Ashton 2^nd XI; Austerlands 2^nd XI v Moorside 2^nd XI; Hadfield 2^nd XI v Droylsden 2^nd XI; Saddleworth 2^nd XI v Stayley 2^nd XI

Local T20 games (6pm): Premier Cup: Hadfield v Mottram; Denton West v Dukinfield (both Fri) Championship Cup: Saddleworth v Ashton (Thurs); Stayley v Uppermill (Fri)

Local Derek Kay Cup 1^st Round Local Game: (Sunday 1.00pm) Woodhouses v Flowery Field

Local Championship Cup 1^st Round Games (Sunday 1.00pm): Golborne v Droylsden; Mottram v Tottington; Dukinfield v Whalley Range; Denton v Saddleworth; (Hadfield & Stayley – byes)

Local John Barrow Trophy 1^st Round Games (Sunday 1.00pm): Ashton Ladysmith v Friends Sporting; Ashton v Micklehurst