THE Groves made it five wins from five in Cheshire Alliance Division One on Saturday with an emphatic victory at Wilmslow.
The 118-run success means Mike Garvey’s men are 18 points clear at the top.
Garvey (46) led from the front as he put on 71 for the first wicket with Mike Evans (25) before Tony King (44) and Dale Cook (25) upped the tempo.
With a declaration imminent, Mike Caulfield (47) and Darren Green (43no) then flexed their muscles as The Groves made their way to 265-5.
It was a total that proved too tough for the lowly hosts as they were polished off for 147 with star man Garvey (3-32), Jonathan Ball (2-22) and Damian Walters (2-37) doing most of the damage.
The Groves entertain Frodsham on Saturday while Ellesmere Port welcome lowly Offerton to their Whitby S&SC home keen to build on the 38-run win they recorded at Trinity on Saturday.
Gareth Boys’ side were struggling at 44-5 but good work from Mukhtar (38), Dean Allen (33) and Ryan Peers (23no) hauled them up to 179.
Trinity, in contrast, got off to a flying start and looked set for victory with the reply at 133-4. Port were not finished yet, though, as Paul Betteridge (5-12), Dwayne Bernard (3-36) and Fahad Khan (1-42) snaffled the home team’s final six wickets for just eight runs.
Ellesmere Port 2nds went down by 44 runs at Haslington 2nds, who set 187 (Ian Daniels 3-15) and then halted Neil Percival’s boys on 143, while there was also a Division Three defeat for The Groves 2nds, who could not stop visiting Styal from cruising to 152-2 in reply to 146 (Stephen Jones 52, Jack Finlay 41).
Neston cemented pole position in the Cheshire County League Premier Division on Saturday with a three-wicket win at Bowdon, who were unable to prevent the table-toppers from chasing down 153 (Chris Finegan 4-47) when reaching 154-7 (Chris Hackett (75).
Neston host Nantwich on Saturday.
