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Ashley vs Widnes Date: 07/06/2009 Venue: Widnes Toss won by: WidnesBatted First:Ashley |
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Fresh from the previous week and their near victory against Winnington Park, Ashley travelled west to take on struggling Widnes in almost winter like conditions. After losing the toss and being inserted to bat, Hatchell continued to impress with a couple of quick fire boundaries whilst his whole positive approach hinted that today got be the day he got the big one. However, after an early botched run out in the 2nd over from the mouthy Widnes keeper, young Hatch’s luck ran out when he played around an inswinger from Quinn. The welcome return of John Ward to cricketing action did not last long as the heavens shortly opened and all parties ran for cover.
30 minutes later and after the storm, the game continued afresh. Brownhill had been grinding one out in a battle of wits against opening bowler Lea. Ward soon nicked one behind and Ashley found themselves 45 – 2 off 16 overs. Cue ex 2nd team skipper Andy Murray to come to the crease and accelerate the score with some strong cutting and pull strokes. He departed for 24 after being beaten by slow left armer Mitchell who soon disappeared from the attack claiming that the wet ball was difficult to grip. Exciting times out in the middle as the never phased Olly Griffiths began to deposit the bowling to all sections. 61 off 9 overs was the sum of this partnership with Brownhill who was now beginning to open his arms and enjoying the better of every exchange, both verbal & cricketing, with opening bowler Quinn. With a big total in sight, Griffiths was given out lbw to a horrendous decision by the home umpire after he clearly under-edged on to his pads. Burt and Harrison tried gamely to pick up the scoring,but were soon back in the hutch. Luckily young Tom Smith strode out and played the right sort of innings when it mattered most. In an innings of authentic strokes, Mr Smith smashed a quickfire 29 with the bat carrying Brownhill moving through the gears at the other end. The innings closed on 192 – 6, impressive after being 39 from the first 15. Brownhill finished two shy of his half ton and will now have to live with the Alan Simmons association for the rest of his career. However, 192 seemed a decent score on what was a good wicket, but with something in it for the bowlers.
Josh Wardle struck in his 1st over to remove the aggressive Webb as Blain held smartly. Every Widnes batsman seemed in a hurry with flamboyant shot selection the call of the day. Bowling two sides of the wicket did not help as boundaries and a high scoring rate were going hand in hand. Wright held a return catch from Roberts and the game looked in the taking for either side. Wright soon held the free-scoring Farrell at mid on whilst skipper Burt trapped Mitchell leg before as Widnes continued to throw the bat. Hatchell then took a stunning one handed diving effort at mid off, an effort his father would have been proud of, as Burt threatened to run through the middle order. Murray easily held on at mid-wicket to remove wicket keeper Atkin and treat Harrison to his 1st wicket in a spell that consistently threatened and deserved more than just one success. This spell of good fielding reached its zenith as Josh Wardle, self-proclaimed best ground fielder on the U-18s, sprinted, back-tracked, dived and held one of the best catches seen for a long time, think Paul Parry against Michael Vaughan. With Harrison soon holding on to hand Burt his 4th wicket, Widnes seemed dead in the water with 8 down and 50 still needed. Sadly, Widnes “overseas” star Stevens in his first game for 3 years stepped up to the plate and began to swat the bowling to all corners. As Lea clung on at the other end and provided valuable support, the total became nearer and nearer despite all the efforts of the Ashley side. Victory was assured in the final over in a game that Ashley will regard as one that got away.
On a positive note, few of our competitors played and the points gained from this match could prove invaluable. There were several significant individual contributions. Josh Wardle bowled a lot better than his figures suggest whilst Harrison and Smith all made noticeable performances. What stood out most was yet another top display of fielding from the likes of Harry, Josh and several others. Although the mood was despondent at the end, this battling effort bodes well for the rest of the season and a positive reaction was promised for the next game at home to Middlewich. |
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FIRST INNINGS |
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SECOND INNINGS |
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Result: Ashley lost by 2 wickets |
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