Wilmslow CC 1st XI 40 all out beat Old Parkonians CC 1st XI 37 all out.
At 3pm on Saturday, Wilmslow CC had effectively finished their season, with four games to go.
Any hopes of promotion dashed by a paltry score of 40 all out, they faced inevitable defeat and mid table mediocrity...... albeit as League Cup winners.
By 5.30pm the Squirrels were sat in the bar, the proud possessors of an unbelievable 25 points having bowled Old Parks out for just 37.
As the rain began to fall, it also became evident that this early in the day other games would not be concluded. Unfortunately for promotion rivals and near neighbours Wayfarers, this was the case, as they picked up few points from a rain affected draw. For the Squirrels, the season is still very much alive.
When WG Grace wrote the rules of cricket, it was for the batsmen. That edict continues today, as wickets get better, bats get meatier and boundaries shorter. Not so long ago, scores in local cricket rarely passed 150. For once, Saturday was a day for bowling, a damp seaming wicket with some uneven bounce. Jags Narayanan (7 for 24) bowls beautifully whatever the conditions and rarely gets the wickets he deserves, today he did. Ably supported by Liam Aspinall (3 for 11) and great fielding they fully exploited the conditions.
Now 7 points behind Wayfarers in second spot, the Squirrels promotion hopes will rest on them winning their remaining matches and hope other results go their way. After Saturdays events however, anything is possible.
The Second XI got a big win at Mossley to ease relegation fears, as this was a second maximum points victory against teams in a similar position in two weeks. Young Sam Perry with 39 got the ball rolling as Chris Arnott 59 and Tim Conniffe 70 piled on the runs to amass a formidable 252 target.
Asraf (6 for 35)and Pickup then bowled out the home side for just 90.
The Development XI were the only casualties in this remarkable weekend of cricket, but this team of old heads and young hearts is showing some real benefits for the club as a whole. Young Jack Newson joined his Dad Toby in a 40 run partnership, which enabled Wilmslow to post a challenging target of 149 against Foresters. Wilmslow looked out of it, as the visitors quickly reached 70 for none. Despite Harding and Rowe then taking 5 quick wickets, the men from Bolton saw it home with 3 wickets spare.
Match report by Mike Harding.
