MIKE Garvey led from the front as The Groves maintained their 100% winning start to the Cheshire Alliance Division One season with a 36-run victory at Wistaston Village.

The skipper smashed 43 with the bat and then took 5-43 with the ball as his side made it three wins from win going into this Saturday’s visit of Haslington to Whitby Road.

Garvey said: “It is good that we have maintained our 100% record but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

“This is a tough league and we only have to look at last term, when we were in this position and ended up finishing seventh.”

The Groves, having won the toss and decided to bat, were struggling at 20-3 on Saturday before Garvey combined with vice-captain Mike Caulfield for what proved to be a match-winning partnership of 73.

Caulfield flayed 11 fours and a six for 50 of his 55 runs, but after he was dismissed with a peach of a yorker, wickets came and went until the visitors were eventually polished off for 151 in the 41st over.

But thanks to Garvey, Damian Walters (3-35) and Robert Jones (2-16), Wistaston fell short on 115.

The Groves 2nds made it a club double on Saturday as they recorded a six-wicket Division Three success over Wistaston Village 2nds, who could not stop the hosts from successfully chasing down 102 (Michael Buckley 3-16) when reaching 103-4 (John Sutcliffe 44, Josh Lyth 38).