CREWE surrendered their six-game unbeaten run with an entertaining two-wicket defeat by top-of-the-table Stone at Willaston on Saturday.
They batted first with twins Neil Hurst (14) and brother Mark (29) giving them a solid start. And when Navdeep Singh and Tom Gower shared a stand of 51, Crewe looked set for a big score at 120-3, before Gower went for two, quickly followed by Singh for a fine 51.
After this, the Crewe innings got bogged down as the Stone pro Mohammed Hussain conceded a miserly 31 runs off 22 overs while picking up five wickets. The innings closed on 143-8. Mike Holt made an early breakthrough for Crewe but Podmore (30) and Hussain (45) scored important runs and Stone seemed to be coasting to victory as they made it to within four runs of victory with five wickets still in hand.
Skipper Richard Marsh made his last throw of the dice by bringing on Martin Dawson and the youngster was soon celebrating his first senior wicket. Singh, who had bowled well without reward, then sent nerves jangling in the Stone dressing room when he took two wickets in as many balls to reduce the visitors to 142-8.
The comeback stopped there, however, as tailender Frampton edged the winning runs in the next over, but Crewe had given the Division One table-toppers quite a fright.
This weekend sees a double header of league fixtures with Crewe at Kidsgrove on Saturday and at home to Burslem on Sunday.
Andre Percival's majestic form for Haslington continued as he hit a superb 139 from 129 balls to set his side on their way to a 79-runs defeat of Bignall End.
