OULTON PARK went to the top of the Premiership on Saturday and are beginning to look like champions in the making.
An outstanding fielding and bowling display put them above everyone else at Chester Boughton Hall.
The Jones brothers - Chris and Danny - were the stars. They shared eight wickets and the first nine all fell to catches, Mike Bentham taking four behind the stumps.
Danny Jones (4-42) had removed the previous week's century maker, Will Goodwin, and Jason Whittaker snapped up Aussie Adam Ball (23) and Andy Benyon (0) to leave Chester at 29-3.
They got their second wind and reached 93 before the left-arm spin of Chris Jones (4-29) worked its way through the innings. Danny Jones returned to polish off the tail and Chester were all out for 140.
But it was not an easy victory and Oulton were 46-4 before they found the winning partnerships, John Davies (44no) sharing stands with Bentham (18) and Danny Jones (24). Oulton made 141-6.
Park's other senior sides also won. Jimmy Guest took 6-30 as Tattenhall 2nds went for 164 and, in reply, Oulton scored 168-5 (Mike Cook 49no, Nick James 51).
Peter Matthews scored 42, David Ravenscroft 37 but the star for Oulton 3rds was 13-year-old Craig Williamson, who took 5-35: Oulton 226-8 dec Congleton 142 (Damian Barton 2-34, Stuart McLeod 2-11).
To complete a fantastic week for Oulton, the club had three other winners: U18s beat Toft by eight wickets; U15s beat Birkenhead Park by 68 runs and the U9s defeated Congleton by 18 runs.
The success of the Oulton Park Cricket School can be seen, not just in results but in the juniors operating up to second-team level, and in the number of county caps, the latest being Under 11s Kieran Berrington, Mike Sambell, Oliver Thompson and U10 Ryan Spann.
WINNINGTON PARK failed dismally at the crease when faced with Toft, a side enjoying a similar bright start to the Division One campaign.
The end result was that Toft top the table and Winnington have stepped into the promotion shadows for now.
At 4-2, Park looked in poor shape and they would have been routed but for the performance of Craig Little, who smashed his way to 67 before being clean bowled. A few minor contributions, such as the late flurries by Dave Hine (17) and Stuart Hayes (15), helped Winnington to 149.
After tea the wicket eased up slightly, but this did not stop Paul Allen from bowling the fastest deliveries seen at Park in recent years.
The openers rode their luck well until Muirhead was caught by Will Chambres off the bowling of Allen for 13.
Park's tactic of regularly changing the bowling seemed to work when the Toft innings stalled at 132-6, but they staggered to 151-7 and victory.
Park skipper Mike Johns said: 'We haven't had a good share of the points against Toft in recent years.
'Their batting was better but some good came out of the game in that we showed strength in depth.'
The 2nds also could not score enough, though they did recover from 40-3: Winnington 172ao (Phil Amietello 38, Stuart Moniz 36) Heaton Mersey 2nds 174-4.
Winnington 3rds amassed 92 runs in the last 12 overs in a huge effort to win a thriller.
Experienced James Bunby and Jason Hayes returned to action in a 3rd XI game that included debutants Matt Jackson and Gareth Marshall, both 14, and Chris Thorpe, making his first appearance for 10 years.
Nantwich scored 210ao (Ken Roberts 4-46, Jonny Wales 4-39, Hayes 2-52), Winnington 206ao (Bunby 46, Wales 45, Thorpe 41).
Division Two's MIDDLEWICH suffered their first defeat since their return to the County League.
With a visit to Mobberley, reckoned to be fielding five overseas professionals in their ranks, Middlewich were made to toil on a hot day in the field. Mobberley scored 232-6. Andy Cole dropped the key wicket of Din at 28 and he went on to make 104.
Middlewich got off to the most awful of starts, losing Dave Parry in the first over for nought and closely followed by the in-form Stephen Parry, run out for just one. With the score on seven, Dave Bates was bowled for three, leaving Middlewich struggling.
A rapid 28 in 18 balls from Nic Lee gave brief support to Cole, who was by now taming the Mobberley bowlers. However, after putting on 42 for the fourth wicket, Lee was bowled and Chris Broomfield and Chris Prime were both removed cheaply to leave the visitors desperate at 52-6.
Cole moved on to his first 50 of the season and he and John Shepherd put on 44 for the seventh wicket. With only three players in double figures, Middlewich finally got to 160 before being cleaned up, Cole being not out for a fine 69.
Middlewich 2nds, however, continued their bright start. Winning the toss at home, they put Mobberley in and bowled them out for 156 (Ben Cagna 3-24, Richard Goulding 3-36, Phil Parry 2-31)
Richard Goulding and Steve Dean, promoted to opener, stormed to the best club opening partnership this term of 123 (Dean 73, Goulding 43). Victory came at 158-8 with nine overs to spare.
WEAVERHAM came within a whisker of their first County League win at home to Stockport Georgians.
They posted their highest score to date - 227-6 - and star of the show was Rob McMillan who hit a stylish 91 on a superb track. Jon Lightfoot scored 42, Ben Wingfield 30 and Kevin Douglas 26.
McMillan's performance got even better, his left-arm spin producing figures of 5-54. Alan Bell also bowled well, finishing with figures of 2-34, but three dropped catches eventually cost Weaverham victory as Georgians held out at 174-8.
Despite being without three regular bowlers, Weaverham seconds bowled Stockport for 217 thanks to Gordon Allen (3-66), Steve Pinnington (3-31) and Rob Hardley (3-41). Weaverham wickets fell regularly and only Richard Goodier (56) and Pinnington (15) reached doubles figures. They scored 145.
