Weekend Review: Greater Manchester Cricket League - Party Time For Promoted Ashton

The local highlight was the confirmation of promotion for Ashton with four games of the season left.

They will now be looking to secure the title, needing a maximum of seven points. Elsewhere there were wins for Denton SL; Glossop; Mottram; Hadfield, Micklehurst, Denton and Ashton Ladysmith

Premier: 

With both teams out of the running for the title the Denton derby at Windsor Park was a battle for local bragging rights. West batted first but their innings never really got going.  Opener Callum Flynn top scored with 35 as the DSL attack kept the brakes on.  DSL pro Damitha Silva wrapped up the innings, finishing with 5-18 as West posted only 125ao, with 15 overs unused. An early wicket in the reply brought Scott Kirwin in.  He reached 50 and DSL ran out six wicket winners. 

Prestwich look well set for a second consecutive title needing a maximum of nine points from the four remaining matches whilst at the bottom both Walshaw and Astley & Tyldesley had their relegation confirmed.

Prestwich 86-0 Astley & Tyldesley 83ao; Heyside 245ao Edgworth 218ao; Moorside 144ao Clifton 224-7; Denton West 125ao Denton SL 126-4; Egerton 91ao Woodbank 93-3; Roe Green 256-9 Walshaw 255-7

Premier 2: 

Flowery Field went into the match at Heywood with news that key player Mike Finan was moving into the County game, having secured a two-year contract with Leicestershire CCC.  And they missed him at Crimble.  Seven days previously Flowery had racked up over 400 but failed to get to three figures this week as Heywood, pushing to get into the promotion places, ran through them for 96ao with the last six wickets falling for 29.  Heywood took their time in reply but eventually eased to a six-wicket win. The title looks to be heading to Heaton who won for a 15^th time.  Flowery need to bounce back against third placed Shaw this weekend.

Glossop cantered to a 109-run win over Bradshaw and one more win will secure Premier 2 status next year. David Wilde led from the front.  The opener reached 118 batting throughout the majority of the 50 overs, and with useful contributions from Chris Gill, Dom Perrin and Lee Dale, (who finished on 57*), Glossop set the visitors 260 for the win.  They were never really in it as Tim Rogers took early wickets, and returning for a later spell wrapped things up, ending with 6-36.

Heywood 97-4 Flowery Field 96ao; Glodwick 177ao Shaw 127ao; Glossop 259-3 Bradshaw 150ao; Stand 215-6 Brooksbottom 216-5; Heaton 258ao Flixton 55ao; Greenfield 264ao Bury 285-9

Championship: 

Both local teams, Dukinfield and Mottram, have all to play for in the remaining four games as they seek to avoid the third relegation place.  Mottram had the better of things on Saturday when they travelled to leaders Elton and pulled of an impressive win. The home team batted first and were more than well placed at 150-2 with 15 overs left.  Mottram fought back really well, as Ryan Fitton, (5-52), and Oliver Andrew, (4-61), took the remaining wickets for the addition of only 50.  Phillip Rowston, (60), gave Mottram a sound platform in reply and with Andrew, (40), and pro Tafadwza Tsiga, (48*), contributing well Mottram got home by four wickets with four balls remaining.

Dukinfield have been on a poor run, which has seen them fall from relative safety to having relegation concerns.  The six-wicket defeat at strugglers Swinton Moorside, (who already look doomed to the drop), was their fourth in a row. And that was after posting a challenging 235-6, thanks to pro Denuwan Dadellage, who ended with 105* and shared an unbeaten seventh wicket partnership of 110 with Nahian Chowdhury.  Swinton had only scored more than 200 twice previously this year.  One of those was against Dukinfield and they repeated this despite three wickets from Dadellage.

Royton 72ao Woodhouses 70ao; Stretford 115ao Friarmere 236ao; Swinton Moorside 236-4 Dukinfield 235-6; Elton 200ao Mottram 204-6; Whalley Range 86-1 Westleigh 83ao; Monton 72ao Winton 163ao

Division 1: 

Droylsden went down for the third game in a row and the prospects of going up are slipping as they are now 11 points adrift of the promotion places. Third placed Edenfield were the visitors and batting first they reached 226-7, with pro Paul Gallagher getting 116*.  Lewis Jarvis got 4-49 for Droylsden. Matt Halliday, (42) and Jackson Purchase, (79), contributed well for Droylsden in the reply but the latter’s departure at 174-7 was the beginning of the end as they eventually finished 30 adrift.

Hadfield had a comfortable win at Uppermill and are now level on points with Droylsden. They set the hosts 165 for the win after a series of useful contributions with the bat. Uppermill struggled against the Hadfield attack.  After a couple of early wickets for Cameron Ball, Louis van Zyl, (4-16) and Conor Hurfurt, (3-6) ran through them as the last eight wickets fell for 30.

Stayley are in serious danger of consecutive relegations and went down again to a rapidly improving Austerlands who batted consistently to reach 271-6. Stayley were never really in the hunt with only Chris Tipper, (55), contributing as they fell 89 short. Stayley are now only one point above SW Manchester who occupy the third relegation place, and it could be that the rearranged game between the two on 11 September could determine who will face Division 2 cricket next year.

Droylsden 196ao Edenfield 226-7; SW Manchester 132ao Saddleworth 264ao; Thornham 293-9 Roe Green 2^nd XI 116ao: Golborne 85-2 Oldham 83ao; Stayley 182ao Austerlands 271-6; Uppermill 81ao Hadfield 164ao

Division 2A: 

Tottington 147-9 Heaton 2^nd XI 146ao; Radcliffe 95ao Darcy Lever 150ao; Astley & Tyldesley 2^nd XI 78ao Adlington 82-5; Deane & Derby 301-8 Prestwich 2^nd XI 197ao; Daisy Hill 198-4 Worsley 195ao; East Lancs PM 48ao United Stars 149-3

Division 2B: 

Denton kept their survival hopes alive on the short trip to Denton SL who batted first at Sycamore Park. Jody Clough, (75) featured for DSL, and they reached 211-9 with Andrew Neill getting 4-38 for the visitors. They tumbled to 80-6 in reply and the odds were on the hosts especially with Mark Dilnutt on fire.  He finished with a remarkable 9-46.  At that point Jon McIlwaine and Andy Mather came together and added 68 for the seventh wicket.  The last pair, (Phil Eaves and Neill) needed to put on 55 and they achieved it, taking Denton to an outstanding win in what has been a poor season.  It is a long shot, but with 24 points to play for a repeat of this could see Denton beating the drop.

Micklehurst retained a top half spot beating Glodwick by six wickets. Rizwan Hussain, (4-38) led the way with the ball as Glodwick ended on 182ao. Kyle Clayton, (80*), was the mainstay of the Micklehurst reply as they raced home with 25 overs to spare.

Milnrow 281-7 Wythenshawe 78ao; Littleborough Lakeside 159-8 Greenfield 2^nd XI 156ao; Oldham 2^nd XI 131ao Werneth 275ao; Denton SL 2^nd XI 211-9 Denton 214-9; Micklehurst 185-4 Glodwick 2^nd XI 182ao; Friarmere 2^nd XI 208ao Denton West 2^nd XI 201ao

Division 3E: 

An 18^th win of the season for Ashton confirmed promotion and a return to Division 2 next year. Springhead were the visitors to Rayner Lane and had a long afternoon as the home team ran up 261-7.  Skipper Dan Hawthorne promoted himself to opener and his 63 together with Richard Taylor, (71), got Ashton off to a great start as they added 115. In the Springhead reply early wickets for Tom Rayson put them on the back foot and Ahasan Shahzad wrapped things up taking 4-6. Ashton now need a maximum of seven points to secure the title.

Town neighbours Ashton Ladysmith won at Dukinfield, chasing the home side’s 229-7, (Mark Roberts 72 & Matt Murphy 59).  Ladysmith fell to 141-5 but a fine unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 90, between Janak Patel, (72*), and Zeeshan Raja, (48*), took them home and into fifth place. 

Flowery Field 2^nd XI 60ao Heyside 2^nd XI 64-1; Dukinfield 2^nd XI 229-7 Ashton Ladysmith 231-5; Woodhouses 2^nd XI 167ao Heywood 2^nd XI 168-7; Mottram 2^nd XI 181ao Royton 2^nd XI 156ao; Werneth 2^nd XI 222-6 Glossop 2^nd XI 170ao; Ashton 261-7 Springhead 78ao

Division 4E: 

Shaw 2^nd XI 168-4 Newton Heath 167ao; Denton 2^nd XI 166-8 Stayley 2^nd XI 165-6; Hadfield 2^nd XI 134-6 Milnrow 2^nd XI 131ao; Saddleworth 2^nd XI 80-3 Droylsden 2^nd XI 76ao; Austerlands 2^nd XI 97ao Ashton 2^nd XI 247-8; Springhead 2^nd XI 150ao Failsworth Macedonia 88-6; Sunday: Moorside 2^nd XI 104-1 Denton 2^nd XI 103ao

Picture by John Parkins (Glossop in action)