Cricket round-up: Chirk stay in the hunt for top after Knockin victory

The Oswestry-based side made the short trip up the A5 to Holyhead Road hoping to secure their first win of the season but were comfortably beaten by the Welsh side.

Chirk skipper Andrew Swarbrick won the toss and he put Knockin into bat after a week of rains and sunshine.

However, his decision was not immediately rewarded as the visitor’s openers put on a half-century stand for the first wicket.

But the breakthrough finally came for Chirk as opener Tom Breese was caught by Ollie Gough off Wyn Jones’s bowling for 31 from 56 balls.

And the old cricket adage of ‘get one, get two’ was at the fore as Chirk legend Nick Flack struck to remove number three Luke Beckett for a six-ball duck to make it 53-2.

It was more good news for Chirk as opener Rhys Williams was also removed with no change to the total as Jones struck again – this time with the help of James Carter.

Any hopes of a rebuilding job were immediately dashed when Knocking were reduced to 54-4 as Lloyd Edwards became Flack’s second victim, also for a duck, as Carter proved to have a safe pair of hands once more.

Knockin were reeling after losing four wickets for just three runs.

But a mini-fightback started with Lawrence Hitchin and Jonny Evans, who managed to put on a vital 23 runs together before the latter was removed for 10, trapped lbw by Billy Swarbrick.

The rebuilding continued with Jamie Birch staying with Hitchen as he hit runs, but it was that man Carter once more who proved to be the undoing of Knockin as he ran Birch out for 12 to leave the visitors on 97-6.

Jak Jones and Robert Ford both came and went – the latter was Luke Gardner’s first victim and the former skipper Swarbrick’s only wicket of the match.

Hitchen continued to score steadily but his was the last wicket of the innings as he fell to Gardner for 37, with Knockin finishing their 40 overs on 137/9.

In reply, Chirk made an equally solid start as they reached 33-0.

However, Knocking got themselves on the board with Hitchen showing good hands in the field, catching off Breese’s bowling.

Hitchen stayed in the game again when he was the bolder who dismissed Carter for just two as Chirk’s momentum was checked at 40-2.

However, all hopes of a comeback were ended there as Gareth Partridge and Flack put on 82 for the third wicket.

Flack was the main man in the all-important partnership as he scored a vital 60 not out.

Knockin gave themselves some hope with a flurry of late wickets – Partridge and Tom King the men out for Chirk, scoring 38 and 10 respectively.

But Flack and Gough were the men to give Chirk the six-wicket win.

In the reverse fixture at Knockin, it was the opposite result as the home side ran out three-wicket winners in a close encounter.

The visitors elected to bat after winning the toss, but they soon came to regret the decision as they were bowled out for just 98.

Chirk scored runs at quick rate but Knockin also took wickets at crucial times to never allow their guests the chance to build a partnership.

The first wicket went down at 12-1 with Ian Skinner the first man out before Liam Walker followed him for 14 when the scored was on 29.

He was followed by Stephen Davies who was dismissed for 10 – both men were victims of Martin Ellis, who had Walker bowled and Davies caught behind by Jack Tinney.

It was soon 36-4 as Dale Randall was bowled for just five by Jack Thorpe and Gary Bailey was the next to go to make the score 45-5 as he was trapped lbw by Aaron Templeman for just four.

Chirk did stage a fightback at this point as Connor Bailey hit four fours in a total of 37 to push the visitor score up, before he was eventually caught by Andy Beckett off Matthew Tunnadine’s bowling.

Ellis grabbed one more while Daniel Morris also helped himself to two wickets to bowl Chirk out.

In reply, Knockin made hard work of their chase as Joe Kynaston’s early dismissal left them 1-1 as he was bowled by Conor Bailey.

Grant Tunnadine and skipper Paul Holyoake steered the shiop clear of a struggle by guiding Knockin to 21 before the latter was dismissed by Mahmud Hussain.

It was panic stations for the hosts as Joseph Wilkinson came and went cheaply and Grant Tunnadine was dismissed for 14 to leave Knockin 28-4 and Chirk scenting victory.

But a pair of jacks – Thorpe and Tinney – combined to put Knockin in a winning position with help from Andy Beckett, who scored nine.

Thorpe was bowled by Owen Hopwood for 14 while Tinney was 15 not out at the end as he was joined by Matthew Tunnadine, with 16, to give Knockin the victory by three wickets.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, both Knockin’s third and fourth teams suffered defeats to fellow north Shropshire sides.

The third XI were beaten by seven wickets against Whitchurch’s third string while the fourth XI lost by 100 runs to Frankton’s third XI.

Cae Glas

It CONTINUES to be a frustrating season for Cae Glas as they failed once again to register a win in this year’s shortened season.

Losing the toss proved to be critical as they visited last week’s victors Acton Reynald, and on a very low and slow pitch they struggled once more to post a challenging total.

Only a typically cavalier 27 from Gary Davies in the middle order posed any resistance as the innings stuttered to 73 all out in 30 overs.

The visitors were spearheaded by Steve Denton’s figures of 2-12 and Sam Cotter, who finished with 2-10 and was responsible for taking out the top order.

John Cotton chipped with a fine 3-34 in his eight-over spell.

In reply, a spirited bowling and fielding performance briefly offered hope as opening pair Gary Davies, and Nathan Bartram took two wickets a piece early on to reduce the hosts to 14-4.

But a mature 20 from youngster Tommy Hughes steadied the ship.

And despite Andy Hughes picking up a couple of wickets later on, and a superb run out by Ruch Nimantha, Reynald reached their target, to win by three wickets.

Cae Glas host Whitchurch at Gatacre next Saturday, still looking for their first win of the season.

Meanwhile the second XI faced a similar outcomes in their clash on Saturday.

Cae Glas won the toss in their return match with Alberbury and asked the visitors to bat on a blustery day with rain forecast and a sodden ground.

Things were fairly quiet until the introduction of Tarik Bodasing who took 3-25 including the wicket of opener A Dale who scored a brisk 39.

At half way, Alberbury were precarious at 70-5.

However, J Wynne (39*) and L Fletcher (54 not out) carefully built a century partnership and had the freedom to attack in the later overs pushing Alberbury to a total of 180-5 off the reduced 30 overs.

Cae Glas started badly losing three wickets in the first six overs.

Tim Smith and Shaun Southern rebuilt with 13 each, but accurate bowling and excellent fielding left Cae Glas finally all out in the last over for a disappointing 50 all out.

S Jarrett (3-5) S Morris (3-12) and L Fletcher (2-6) were the main wicket takers for Alberbury.

Next week Cae Glas travel to Chirk, still in search of their first win of 2020.

Frankton

Frankton remain bottom of the Shropshire Premier Division Mike Robinson Group after they were beaten by Sentinel on Saturday.

Wicketkeeper and skipper Thomas Wilkie won the toss and he decided to set his hosts a target but would have been disappointed with his side’s start as they were soon 9-2 – George Dickin and Ian Whitticase the men out.

But Wilkie and Scott Hale set about a recovery for Frankton as they reached 60-3 to steady the ship.

However, the removal of Hale – caught behind by Connor Cheshire off David Laird’s bowling – for 15 off 43 balls led to a complete collapsed by Frankton.

From 60-3, they were soon 71-7 as Wilkie fell for 43 from 34 balls, including fours sixes and three fours, and we he was followed by Mark Lammie, who was also done for by the Cheshire-Laird partnership.

Cheshire was the catcher again when James Wigley was dismissed by Joe Yapp and Archie Dickin followed without troubling the scorers, for an eight-ball duck.

Jordan Parry hit back with a fine 27 but he was eventually last man out as Frankton were bowled out for 101 in the 33rd over.

In reply, Sentinel never looked like there was going to a troublesome chase despite Frankton making occasional inroads into their top order.

Stuart Lammie made the first impact when Sentinel were 19-1, having opener Steven Gray caught behind for 15 by Wilkie.

But Frankton had to wait until Sentinel had moved onto 47 for their next breakthrough – George Dickin caught Tom Matthews off Troy Newton’s bowling for 20.

Wigley took one more wicket but it was a mere procession by the time Jamie Wear’s 43 not out saw the home side over the line for the seven-wicket win.

Meanwhile, a solid 45 not out from Edward Wainwright set up a fine win for Frankton’s second XI against Calverhall on Saturday.

Put into bat, Frankton made 140 all out with opener jack Hutchinson chipping in with 25.

In reply, Calverhall fell well short, bowled out for 73 in just 26 overs as Grant McKay’s 4-13 from 6.5 overs made the difference.

Olly Harris took 3-3 from five overs.

Ellesmere

Ellesmere’s first team were denied action over the weekend as the impact of Storm Ellen was felt most keenly by the Meresiders.

Ellesmere were set to host Montgomery in the Shrewsbury and West Division 2, hoping for the chance to leap over their nearest rivals int he group, but the high winds and heavy rain put paid to any hopes of action.

On Saturday, Ellesmere’s first XI will make the short trip to Oswestry’s second XI, who are bottom, hoping for the spoils in a mini-derby.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the same two clubs met at Morda Road albeit in their third XIs and it was the hosts who picked up the win.

Ellesmere skipper Aaron Clegg wont he toss and decided his side would set their hosts a target.

Wicketkeeper Lee Davies led the way for Ellesmere with a fine 51 not out batting at number four while he shared much of his side’s runs with Jack Cockayne, who chipped in with 39, after both openers fell cheaply.

However, once Cockayne was out, no-one stuck around long enough to support Davies, with only Carl Ayling – 13 – reaching double figures.

Max Payne took 3-27 for Oswestry.

Payne was first man out for Oswestry in reply as he was dismissed for eight, bowled by Tom Appleyard.

But that Henry Walker to the crease and he and Luke Jones set bailout the Ellesmere attack with vigour.

Both men were eventually dismissed, but the damage had been done by the Jones was caught behind by Davis off Rich Upton’s bowling for 69.

Walker was caught by Nigel Davies for 34 off Cockayne’s bowling, with Matty Harrington taking one before Oswestry reached their target of 166.