Maltman spins Didsbury to first win
Newly-promoted Didsbury registered their maiden ECB Premier League victory at Chester Boughton Hall, leaving their hosts the only top flight team yet to taste success in the 2009 Chapel Press Cheshire Premier League.
Things looked dodgy for Paul Sperring’s men when they performed one of their now characteristic slumps to 55 for five chasing a modest 139 as Alex Kegg (3-46) made early inroads. But the skipper himself (52) and Nick Anderson (45) added 88 without being parted for the sixth wicket to see the points safely collected.
Earlier, the Boughton Hall innings had gone in the opposite direction to 139 all out after reaching 99-2, Warren Goodwin 56 and Hayden Butterworth 43 adding 95 for the third wicket.
The next eight batsmen added only 40 runs as former Poynton left-arm spinner Jamie Maltman went through them with a remarkable return of 6-18.
Neston shot up to second place only eight points behind leaders Bowdon by virtue of their third win, proving too strong for Macclesfield at Parkgate.
They registered a comfortable eight wicket victory after restricting their visitors to 168 for eight, Ben Morrison making 64, Tom Parfett 53 and left arm spinner Paul Stimson taking 4-40.
Neston batted well in reply and after consistent skipper Jack Smith had been dismissed for 64, in-form teenager David Hurst went on to finish with 74 not out.
Bowdon stay top thanks to a fine all-round performance by Lancashire’s Gareth Cross at Hyde. Normally Lancashire’s one-day wicket-keeper, the versatile Cross took 5-12 off 13 overs with his deceptive medium pacers to help bowl Hyde out for 99, James Duffy 39. Cross then contributed a key innings of 66 as Bowdon limped home on 103 for six, Rob Woolley finishing with 3-31.
Widnes had their good start to the season spoiled when they lost at home to Toft by seven wickets, their normally strong batting line-up crumbling to 123 all out against the unchanged pace and spin partnership of Dorset’s Rupe Kitzinger who took 5-58 and Tasmanian Josh Bean with 5-53. Pat Roberts hit 53 in Toft’s comfortable reply.
Champions Alderley Edge surged back after two defeats, beating Nantwich by five wickets.
The Dabbers declared on 196 for eight, Rob Cook-Sievwright scoring 43 and Sohail Rauf taking 3-31 as Alderley went on to win with 199 for five thanks to an unbroken sixth wicket partnership worth 93 between Roger Wilkinson (85) and Lancashire’s Oliver Newby (51).
The Nantwich attack was handicapped when veteran paceman Barrington Browne left the field injured after taking 3-27.
This was Nantwich’s third defeat in a row as they wait for their former New Zealand Test batsman Lou Vincent to hit his first half-century.
Thanks to a big-hitting innings of 161 from Cheshire left-hander Danny Leech – this second century taking his individual tally to 432 - and 58 from Rick Moore, Oulton Park amassed 303 for four against Oxton at Little Budworth, Andy Birley’s fieldsmen dropping the centurion four times.
As Oxton went on to hold out for a draw at 166 for six thanks to a fighting 64 from Chris Davies, spectators were left wondering whether home skipper Nathan Dumelow should have declared earlier in a game already reduced by two overs through rain.
