Cheshire County League
CHESTER BOUGHTON HALL hit the top of the Vivio Cheshire County League on Saturday after a seven-wicket success at Didsbury stretched their winning run to six matches.
Hall, led superbly by the in-form Lee Dixon, took full advantage as previous Premier League pacesetters Alderley Edge were held to a losing draw at Bramhall.
If Dixon was the undisputed star with the bat, then Will Owen was the equivalent with the ball, as he took 6-86 from 17 overs of fine controlled bowling to help dismiss Didsbury for 154.
Harry Killoran (2-3) mopped up the tail for Chester whose reply got off to a poor start when Warren Goodwin and Alex Money went early.
Rick Moore, with 28 from 90 balls, stuck around, however, and that allowed Dixon to take control.
He shared a third-wicket stand worth 108 runs with Moore before going on to complete his third league century of the season and his second of the week having also hit a ton for Cheshire.
Dixon’s unbeaten 108 led Hall to 157-3 and ensured he took over as the Premier League’s leading run scorer.
Chester made the return trip to Didsbury on Sunday for a Cheshire Cup quarter-final clash.
And the outcome was the same as Hall won by eight wickets to set-up a last-four showdown at home to New Brighton on August 20.
Moore (67no) and Alex Money (55no) steered Chester to 132-2 after Killoran claimed 4-22 as Didsbury were skittled for 130.
NESTON will face Timperley in the other semi-final providing they win their last-eight tie at home to holders Hyde on August 6.
First up for Neston is this Sunday’s ECB National Club Twenty20 regional final at their Parkgate home (11.30am start).
The Cheshire champions will face Greater Manchester winners Clifton in one semi-final while North Wales champions Brymbo will take on North Staffs & South Cheshire winners Longton in the other.
Neston’s Cheshire County League match at home to Toft at the weekend was abandoned.
Toft were 50-1 in reply to 145 all out, with Will Evans thrashing 50 off 52 balls, when the weather halted proceedings.
Neston are in league action this Saturday, away to Hyde. Chester entertain Bramhall.
OULTON PARK, meanwhile, will head to promotion rivals Bollington looking to take another step closer to the First Division title.
Park are now 43 points clear of second-placed Davenham and 51 ahead of third-placed Bollington after their seven-wicket cruise at home to Oxton.
Matt Parkinson (4-24), Muhammad Kashif (3-12) and Andrews Hards (3-20) snaffled Oxton for just 61. Park needed less than 15 overs to reach 66-3.
Cheshire County League
ALVANLEY are now just three points behind the Vivio Cheshire County League Second Division promotion places after they extended their unbeaten run to eight matches with a fine three-wicket victory at home to fellow contenders Brooklands.
Brooklands entered the crunch Frodsham Road clash having not tasted defeat in the league since May 13.
But, after being inserted into bat, they were in all sorts of trouble at 19-4 after the irrepressible Billy Ouzounidis (4-41) and Chris Charles (1-22) again dominated with the new ball.
The fifth wicket added 54 as Brooklands looked to fight back.
However, Jimmy Ecclestone (0-18 from eight overs) dried the scoring up before Lee Ainsworth (2-33) did the same as well as removing the dangerous AJ Hart (41).
Jonno Whitley’s (1-21) first bowl for the club yielded a wicket and, after a few late Brooklands blows, Michael Rowlands (2-12) helped mop up the tail.
Rowlands (41) then set about chasing down the 147 target with gusto, hitting four convincing boundaries by the end of the fourth over of the reply.
A fine half-century stand from Si Gee (31) and Arthur Brummitt (24) followed before the jitters set in after the duo were dismissed.
But captain Charles (12no) and Ainsworth (9no) kept their cool to take Alvanley to 148-7 and up to third in the standings going into this Saturday’s trip to Stockport.
Cheshire County League
Matt Astbury and Joshua Joseph starred as CHRISTLETON recorded a superb success at Vivio Cheshire County League Second Division table-toppers BARROW.
Barrow went into the derby clash hoping to bounce back from their first defeat of the season.
Instead they went down to a 46-run loss that further cut their lead.
Barrow made a good start as Malcolm Barrow (3-39) and Maneesha Ayomal Nissanka (2-26) claimed early captures to leave Christleton rocking at 30-4.
Wickets continued to go cheaply.
But Astbury refused to budge and his superb 73no from 116 balls lifted Christleton to 137.
Then it was all about Joseph (5-17) and Shavaiz Saif (4-26).
They shared nine wickets as Barrow were bowled out for 91.
TATTENHALL suffered a five-wicket loss at home to Lindow, who moved up to second as a result.
The struggling Flacca outfit crumbled for 67 before the title challengers made it to 68-5 despite the best efforts of Andy Styan (4-30).
Second-bottom Tattenhall travel to Christleton this Saturday while Barrow will look to return to winning ways at Brooklands.
Cheshire League
Saughall were outplayed in their UKFast Cheshire League Division Five promotion showdown at home to FRODSHAM.
Saughall never got out of first gear due to some excellent bowling, Gregory Pidgeon (5-21) in particular.
E Wright (2-21) and Matt Deakin (2-18) also got in on the act as the hosts collapsed from 87-5 to 93ao.
Saughall needed early wickets and they duly arrived from Chris Andrews (1-29) and Lawrence Gotts (1-24).
But, with Frodsham wobbling on 11-2, the heavens opened.
Once played resumed the ball did not swing and the impressive Gavin Houghton (55no) and Tom Wilkinson (24no) guided the visitors to 94-2.
Division Two leaders KINGSLEY (93-2) bounced back from their first defeat of the season with an eight-wicket victory at Heaton Mersey (91).
Hayden Lanza (5-31) caught the eye with the ball, Ben Stoddart (44) and Haris Yassin (37no) with the bat.
Having ended Kingsley’s 100% winning record OAKMERE made it six triumphs on the trot by recording a three-wicket success at BUNBURY.
Adrian Stubbs (91) fired Oakmere to 165-7 (J Thompson 4-39) after Craig Phelan (5-63), Michael Cushion (3-37) and James Norton (2-37) skittled battling Bunbury for 164 (Steve Percival 40).
Cheshire League
There were draws for CHESTER COUNTY OFFICERS and CHOLMONDELEY in UKFast Cheshire League Division Three.
CCO shared 14 points in their home clash with Aston, who set 178-7 in spite of Kris Green (5-42) and then restricted their promotion pushers to 163-7 (Stuart Putson 66).
Cholmondeley held on at home to Maritime.
Wayne Goldstein took 4-44 as the title challengers hit 188-6dec.
Chum then got as far as 136-7 with Ben Pearce (51) flaying a half-century.
WESTMINSTER PARK (113) tied their Division Four encounter at Knutsford (113).
But Westminster, for whom Sayad Ahmed (3-24) and Sai Bharath Kumar Reddy Vanteddu (32) stood out, will feel they should have won having been 80-6 at one stage in their replay.
