Normal service was resumed as Lindow's First X1 romped to victory against bottom of the table Prestbury.
On a rain-affected afternoon Lindow won the toss and chose to bat but the persistent showers forced them off the field five times during their innings. A solid opening partnership between Chris Taylor and Arpan Desai got the visitors off to a good start before Ben Tyler joined Taylor at the crease and upped the tempo.
By the time Brady Yates walked out to the crease after Tyler's departure the only thing it was raining was boundaries as Prestbury's first change bowlers could not threaten Lindow's batsmen. Yates scored a quick fire 55 before Taylor brought up his well-worked half century with a sumptuous cover drive. Lindow declared on 190 after 33 overs to give their opponents a tricky 34 overs to survive on a lively track.
Despite Prestbury's opening batsmen making a flying start, Scott Howarth stuck to his guns and finished with figures of 4-53. Between Howarth and his bowling partner Sam Walker, Prestbury's top order was brushed aside, leaving skipper Tyler to mop up the tail. Lindow eventually won by 48 runs to keep the pressure on the two teams above them in the league.
On a damp Saturday afternoon at Upcast Lane, Lindow 2nd XI suffered their first loss of the season, but they didn't surrender their unbeaten record without a fight against Barnton.
Starting the match in rain, a lively pitch with exaggerated bounce led to the very early departures of three of the Lindow top order, and when Jamie Peel and David Kendrick came together in the middle, they were faced with a precarious situation at 11-3. What followed was a superb, watchful innings from Peel who carried his bat for 75 not out, and a fine exhibition of counterattacking batsmanship by Kendrick, who was tragically bowled for 99. Together they set up Lindow to finish on 204-4 at the completion of their innings.
It took Lindow 20 overs to get going in the field with some loose bowling allowing the visitors to get ahead of the run rate. Having regrouped after drinks however, the bowling and fielding tightened up with Rowan Day taking three wickets to exert some pressure on the Barnton batsmen. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough and Barnton squeaked home, hitting the winning runs with just two balls remaining. Despite the loss, Lindow 2nd XI remain top of the Cheshire League Division A and fighting hard for promotion.
Match report by Rowan Day.
