4thXI Crowned League Champions!

The penultimate weekend of the 2019 league season was a productive one for the Jets as they returned a clean sweep of wins and a first trophy for the club as the 4thXI were crowned league champions. The 2ndXI will enter the final week with the opportunity to double that tally, knowing that a win away to Holmes Chapel will see them top the table.

Runcorn v 1stXI

The 1stXI bounced back into the top half of Division 1 with a convincing victory at Runcorn where they backed up a disciplined bowling effort with a dominant run chase. The home side elected to bat but could only muster 117 all out as they found a six-man North East attack in good order. Danny Williams (6-30) continued his strong finish the season as a second consecutive five-for saw him top fifty league wickets for the campaign, whilst their were single scalps for four others.

Charlie Dahlenburg (49*) then marshalled the chase with a composed innings full of intelligent running but one that saw him stranded a single run short of a deserved half-century. His control allowed for aggression from the other end as Williams swapped bat for ball with a pinch-hitting 34 and the game was finished in style by the returning Sam Waller (20*). He marked his first 1stXI game since the start of July by launching the winning runs over the long-on boundary.

Scorecard

2ndXI v Ashley

The 2ndXI will enter the last day of the season knowing a win will deliver the league title as they did the business in their final home league game with a victory over Ashley. As with much of the campaign it was built on a strong bowling performance, the visitors shot out for 56 by the teenage trio of Mike Gilmour (5-9), Joe Rooney (2-20) and Manusha Wettasinghe (1-9) with assistance from Andy Heath (2-12).

Veterans Pete Heath (25*) and John Westerby (12*) collected the red-inkers in a patient run chase that left nothing to chance, ensuring the 20pts were pocketed ahead of a trip to Holmes Chapel to finish the season.

Scorecard

3rdXI v Styal

An unbroken stand of 74 between Scott Parkinson (46*) and Luke Johnson (25*) carried the 3rdXI to another win on Jackson’s Edge after they had fallen to a perilous 52-5 in reply to Styal’s 125 all out. Spinners Owen Johnson (4-43) and Andy Hadfield (3-5) shared six wickets whilst Alex Oswell (3-14) also found success.

The efforts with the ball looked to be going to waste though as only skipper OJ made it to double figures in the top order. Brother Luke and Scott Parkinson survived though and began to assert dominance against the change bowling, slowly dragging North East back into the contest before finishing with a flourish. With five runs to win, Luke Johnson carved the winning runs up and over the rope for a ninth win of the campaign.

Scorecard

Macclesfield v 4thXI

A short trip to Macclesfield ended the 4thXI’s season with Damien Mullany’s men knowing a win was required to keep the title race alive in East Division 2. The Jets held up their part of the bargain as the middle and lower order rallied to post 141, the skipper leading the way with 28. Andy Heath’s 5-26 then set up opening partner Sam Thompson (2-18) to return and knock over the tail to secure a 20-run win.

It completed a fine opening season for the 4thXI and one that got infinitely better as news of losses for Lindow and Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge meant the Jets possess an unassailable 6pt lead at the top of the table and are Cheshire County Cricket League 3rdXI Sunday East Division 2 champions.

Scorecard