Twos Return to the Top of the Table

There were mixed fortunes for the promotion-chasing Jets sides as the second string returned to the top of their table. The 1stXI also remain top but saw their lead reduced thanks to a fine individual display from Tattenhall's captain that consigned them to defeat.

Tattenhall v 1stXI

A week is a long time in sport as the 1stXI found to their cost after the long trip to Tattenhall. It was a nightmare scenario for the Jets as the struggling hosts’ gun player, Kiwi captain Tom Hyslop, had a day out and single-handedly won his side the game. He hammered an astonishing 143 (20x4, 4x6, 132b) to which the Jets had no answer, failing to prise the one wicket that would open up the game. Support for Hyslop was in such short supply that - despite such an incredible individual effort - Tattenhall could only total 217 all out.

Bowling to the rest of the home lineup proved more fruitful, Dave Oldfield’s 4-43 the pick as only three other batters reached double figures with Okell’s 21 the next highest score. Hyslop’s eventual dismissal – caught in the deep looking for a fifth six of the innings – triggered a collapse of 5-27 to only further frustrate the 1stXI. 217 all out would still take some chasing though, especially as an early wobble took out three of the top order. It was honours even by drinks though, 97-3 with Andrew Clarke (30) and Will Westerby (29) repairing the damage and hoping to set up an assault in the latter stages of the innings.

The set batters never kicked on though, typical of a frustrating afternoon where seven of the lineup made double figures but nobody was able to compile a match-defining score. Manning Berry top scored with 37, adding two useful stands with John Westerby and Dave Oldfield to keep things interesting, but when he holed out in the deep looking to force the issue the writing was on the wall. A third batting point was accrued but that was it for a bad day at the office, 173 all out and a meagre points return taking out a chunk of the 1stXI’s lead at the top of the table.

2ndXI v Langley

There was better news for the second string as they made light work of Langley at London Road, taking some measure of revenge against the side who knocked them out of the Twenty20 Cup. Chester Bowden starred with a hard-hitting 92 (15x5, 1x6, 116b) from the top of the order, falling eight runs shy of a deserved century when he was stumped to leave the score 160-5. Damien Mullany (46*) and Luke Johnson (26*) then enjoyed themselves at the death, the pair adding a further 59 runs in double-quick time to swell the score to an impressive 219-5.

LJ (2-22) then swapped bat for ball to take out both openers, setting the tone for a ruthless display in the field. Langley were put out of their misery inside 30 overs, the spin of Owen Johnson (3-13), Adam Burgess (3-15) and Ed Parkinson (1-14) all proving fruitful on a rare wicketless afternoon for Jimmy Williams. The score did scrape into three figures but not much further, 104 all out as the 2ndXI banked maximum points in a sixteenth win from eighteen league games and enough to regain top spot as fellow challengers Wilmslow fell to a rare defeat.

3rdXI v Bowdon Vale

It was 3rd v 4th on Jackson’s Edge as the 3rdXI played host to Bowdon Vale in a surprisingly one-sided encounter. The visitors elected to bat but were soon in trouble against a Jets attack with a good mixture of youth and experience. Back from injury, Max Collins struck first and wickets arrived early and often as a six-man bowling unit all settled into their work. A patient 37 from 110 balls by opener Iain Johnson did offer some resistance, but when he was run out the lower order quickly folded against messrs Holbrook (3-8) and Ashton-Bryant (2-20) to leave just 95 runs required for victory.

The second innings was then the Andy Welsby show as the skipper struck a first career half-century. He carried his bat for 61* at exactly a run-a-ball with ten boundary fours, showing continued promise in his role at the top of the innings. It helped to repel the bowling of Damien Paul (3-32) who took the only three Jets wickets to fall as the scoreboard otherwise rattled along. With the scores level, Elliot Ashton-Bryant added a final flourish as he flogged the winning runs up and over the rope to seal victory in style and consolidate what looks to be a third-place finish.

4thXI v Brooklands

The 4thXI’s second-half wobble continued with a loss at home to Brooklands. After starting the season with a prolonged run of perfect results the Sunday side has now lost five of their last six completed fixtures having failed to post a competitive total here. For the second day in a row, Chester Bowden fell short of another milestone to top-score with 42. The inevitable passage of Matt Mullany into 1,000 runs for the season will also have to wait at least another week, dismissed here for a golden duck to leave him still 19 runs shy of the milestone. An eventual 140 all out didn’t look competitive and so it proved after the interval.

Brooklands went about their task with minimal fuss, a second-wicket stand of 75 helping to lay the foundations of a successful chase. The Jets got on a bit of a roll to take 5-59 after breaking the partnership but it was too little too late as they fell to a four-wicket defeat. Next weekend now sees them take a break from league action to participate in the Twenty20 finals day, hoping to quickly get back up to speed in a format they haven’t played since winning their Quarter-Final at Nantwich way back on 20th May