Bramhall edged
BRAMHALL’S 1st XI suffered a nailbiting home defeat to Premier Division newcomers Timperley, in Saturday’s Cheshire County League fixture.
After being asked to bowl first, the Beavers started brightly, with disciplined lines and lengths on a green-tinged wicket, and after Daniel Lamb picked up the first wicket with the score on 33, the visitors were unable to register any substantial partnerships for the rest of the innings.
While the scoring rate was low, as a patient Iqbal was given few opportunities to cut loose, it wasn’t until Luke Littlewood’s introduction as a second change bowler that wickets fell with regularity.
Littlewood’s nagging accuracy and medium pace proved difficult to get away and he took the last five wickets to fall – all to catches – to finish with 5-24 from his eleven overs. Timperley’s total of 189-9 from their 55 overs looked inadequate, and the home side must have felt confident of overhauling it.
However, after tea, there was little confidence shown by all but two of Bramhall’s batsmen as only three players managed double figures.
Aussie Dale McKay provided the match’s stand out innings, with a superb century where no other player topped forty.
However, he only found support in Bramhall wicket keeper Sam Johnson as the Beavers’ top and middle order crumbled to leave the innings on 129-6.
However, McKay and Johnson weathered the storm to bring up a crucial fifty partnership as the former brought up his ton with a lofted maximum. His attempt to repeat the stroke next ball, with the score on 181-6, was unsuccessful.
Bramhall then inexplicably lost their final threewickets for five more runs to lose by three with two overs remaining.
It was a remarkable turnaround for Timperley, who looked like they were to be beaten by McKay’s willow. Johnson was cruelly left unbeaten on 30 after a gutsy and mature innings.
A trip to Nantwich next Saturday is Bramhall’s next test, with tough games in June also including Friday 17th’s PCA England Masters T20 event.
Meanwhile, Bramhall’s second team won by 58 runs at Cheadle Hulme.
Bramhall won the toss on a sunny afternoon, and with a longer batting line up than in earlier games, opted to bat first.
Emma Lamb and Ian Milligan opened the innings with contrasting styles, putting on 30-odd before Ian was bowled.
Ellie Mason suffered a similar fate not long after, at which point Tim Wood joined Emma for the most significant partnership in the Bramhall innings. Emma caused frustration for the Cheadle Hulme bowlers, regularly chipping over the infield, while Tim accumulated steadily.
A partnership of around 90 was ended when Tim was caught. Emma remained the mainstay of the innings, before being bowled for 82, leaving Viv Vaish to keep the momentum going in the later parts of the innings. Bramhall ended on 189-8, which felt like a good score on a slow pitch.
The Cheadle Hulme innings started in style, with Ali hitting the first ball from Tim Wood for 6. Tim got his revenge at the start of his next over, with Arron Linney taking a great catch at backward square leg.
Fish and Balderson kept things moving for Cheadle Hulme, though tight bowling from Wood, Madeira and Patel kept the run rate at around three an over.
Tim eventually bowled Fish, and Moss was trapped LBW to Matt Madeira soon afterwards, leaving Cheadle Hulme 58-3 in the 20th over.
Tom Drury then replaced Tim Wood, and removed the heart of the Cheadle Hulme batting with three wickets in his first seven balls.
Cheadle Hulme captain Phil Balderson was not about to give up, however, and one handed kept Cheadle Hulme in the hunt.
Tim Wood returned to take the seventh wicket, and Emma Lamb took two more in a very tight spell, but overs were ticking by, with Cheadle Hulme still hanging on.
A late throw of the dice saw Rauridh Patel return to take the final wicket with 4 overs of the game remaining.
A welcome first win for Bramhall, with the sporting behaviour of Cheadle Hulme also to be commended: we all know how hard it is to give a team mate out LBW, and Cheadle Hulme were sporting enough to give 5 LBWs during the course of their innings.