Sale climbed to third in the Vivio Cheshire Country Cricket League 1st XI Divison 1, thanks to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Warrington.
Meeting for the first time this year (the first fixture was cancelled due to rain), Sale won the toss and, sticking to the recent formula, elected to field first. With first placed Disdsbury playing second placed Oulton Park, Sale knew that a win would enable them to gain ground on at least one team above – and this is exactly what they did.
Sale were in the ascendancy almost immediately; Mike Rudd well caught by a diving Brooke Guest down the legside for a duck inside the fifth over, leaving Warrington 5-1. Only thirteen runs were then scored in the next ten overs, before the other opener, Mal Agar, tried to hit Tyrone Lawrence away and was caught at the second attempt after a juggle by Chris Canning in the slips for seven.
This brought Will Fleetwood to the crease, who, facing only his third ball, tried to sweep Rick Halkon behind square. Initially, it looked as though the shot had worked, but Luke McCoy made an unbelievable catch running, diving and somehow holding on – sending the number four back for just one.
Warrington had reached 19-3 in fifteen overs and were struggling early on. This struggle was then compounded four balls later, as Adam Green went back to a Rick Halkon delivery, but was pinned LBW for thirteen. Warrington were 23-4 and desperately in need of a partnership.
Rick Halkon’s three wickets helped restrict Warrington to 121-10. Photo by George Franks.
This partnership materialised somewhat; captain Rich Heaney and overseas Huw Stone added twenty-four in about ten overs. But, as the runs began to dry up after accurate bowling, Ali Rizvi made the vital breakthrough of Heaney, bowled for a busy eleven. The same then happened again; Stone and James Rudd adding twenty four. But, as the partnership started to develop, Rudd tried to hit Rich Adams and sliced a catch to Luke McCoy running back towards point and had to depart for six, leaving Warrington 71-6 from 36 overs.
Rich Adams was responsible for breaking a developing partnership for Warrington, finishing with figures of 9.0-0-31-1. Photo by George Franks.
Twenty three had this time been added between Stone and James Lewis, when the former clipped Ben Watkin to the running Chris Canning at midwicket, who completed a simple catch to dismiss the Warrington top-scorer for a crucial fourty that had at least given his team hope.
The final three wickets then fell quickly, as Brad McIntosh skied Watkin to Tyrone Lawrence – who took a good, high catch – for a quickfire 11, and then James Lewis advanced down the wicket to Rick Halkon, but missed the ball and was bowled for an excellent twenty-two. The final wicket then fell in calamitous circumstances, as number eleven Chai Gadepalli and number ten Ashley Scholes had a horrible mix-up and the latter was easily run out from a combination of Mal Clarke and Brooke Guest. All told, Warrington had been bowled out for 121 in 45.5 overs.
Sale would therefore need 122 in 54 overs to win – meaning that batting out the overs would almost guarantee a win. Guest – who made it ten consecutive games scoring thirty or more – and Spells started confidently, motoring on at about 6 runs per over for the first ten overs.
Brooke Guest continued his excellent form for Sale, scoring 54. Photo by George Franks.
The runs then began to subside somewhat, and Mat Spells was caught on the edge of the 3o-yard circle by Gadepalli off the bowling of Brad McIntosh for seventeen. At 70-1 from fourteen overs, Sale were almost certainly on their way to victory.
Guest and Lawrence had moved the score on to 89, when Guest was clean bowled by James Rudd for an excellent 54. Though he would not be there to see his team home, he had all but led his team to victory.
Lawrence and Luke McCoy looked to score the required runs as quickly as possible, and some big hits eventually brought Sale to their target inside twenty five overs – with Lawrence finishing 30* and McCoy 18*. It was Sale’s fourth consecutive win, and took them to within twelve points of a promotion spot – trailing Grappenhall and Didsbury, with the latter visiting Sale next week.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Rick Halkon: 13.5-2-35-3
Huw Stone: 40 (74), 1×4
Brooke Guest: 54 (61), 5x4s; 1×6
Tyrone Lawrence: 30* (38), 4x4s
MATCH SCORECARD: http://bit.ly/29RbAu4
Sale Cricket Club 