July 2023

James Marshall bats in cap Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 166 all out Lost to Mobberley CC 1st XI 167-2 Ashton on Mersey’s difficult season continued as they fell to defeat to Mobberley at The Beets. The toss proved vital, as Ashton were put into bat on a wicket that offered much help to the visitors’ seam attack. With the veteran Abdul Aqeel and Luke Stow bowling a splendid opening spell, Ashton’s top order had little answer to balls which had considerable lateral movement off a length. Despite a brave innings from Akash Patel, Ashton found themselves at 69-8 before skipper James Marshall and Sam Kingsman-Ali came together to bring some respectability to the score. As the pitch flattened out, the pair took advantage of the Mobberley change bowling, posting a 95 run partnership before Kingsman-Ali departed. Marshall was last man out for a splendid 52, having taken Ashton to a score which at least gave the home side something to defend. Stow finished with figures of 4-39 with Aqeel posting 3-28. In reply Mobberley took advantage of the improving batting conditions and despite the loss of a couple of early wickets the run chase never looked in doubt. Will Berrisford Ince (74 no) and Osman Butt (60 no) put on an unbeaten 125 run partnership to take the visitors over the line inside 27 overs, as the Ashton bowling flagged in a lost cause. The loss leaves Ashton stranded in the relegation zone with 7 games to go in the season. They will need something special across those games to avoid the drop. The Ashton 2nd XI brought some smiles back to the club with a comfortable win at Upton. Upton 137 all out (Sam Talbot 53, Ryan Carey 3-25, Aadam Ali 3-26),  Ashton 138-5 (Dave Patterson 35, Ryan Carey 35). Akash Patel bats in helmet

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 107-5 Drew with Haslington CC 1st XI 224-8 Charlie Eaton bowls Ashton on Mersey were thwarted by the weather on a day when they put up a fine performance against title-chasing Haslington at The Beets. Choosing to bowl first after winning the toss, Ashton were soon on top as the opening attack of Charlie Eaton and Jackson Noske bowled a probing and controlled spell. With the Ashton support bowling keeping up the pressure, Haslington were reduced to 70-5 before the visitor’s Ben Istead took control of the effort to build a total. Batting with judgement and skill, Istead played a superb innings as he helped Haslington to a respectable score of 224-8 off their 50 overs. Istead remained undefeated on 108 at the innings’ close. Eaton took the bowling honours with well-deserved figures of 3-53. In reply Ashton made steady progress despite the loss of wickets, including a controversial decision which gave key man Henry Murray out bowled when the bails appeared to be disturbed by the keeper’s gloves. Despite that setback, Ashton looked set to mount a serious push for the target when the rains came and denied both sides a chance of the win. The result leaves Ashton in the relegation zone but with hopes that the improved form in the last few weeks will lead to a points push in the coming weeks. A weakened  Ashton 2nd XI fell to a heavy defeat at Haslington. Ashton 63 all out (Joe Cork 4-2) Haslington 64-0 (Will Dale 50 not out). Henry Murray bats

Henry Murray Drives Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey 1st XI 194 all out Lost to Marple 1st XI 195-4 Ashton fell to defeat at table topping Marple despite a battling performance on a rain interrupted day. Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Ashton shrugged off the loss of an early wicket to make a bright start with Macca Hooton and Henry Murray playing fluently against the Marple opening bowlers. But the introduction of spinners Joe Cash and Mark Makin turned the game in Marple’s favour. Cash bowled Hooton and Makin trapped Murray lbw before Tom Scott set about rebuilding the Ashton effort. Working with the Ashton middle order, Scott played cautiously to move the score along without ever threatening the acceleration which would have allowed the visitors to post a challenging total. Scott’s innings finished when he pulled a muscle and had to retire. The rest of the Ashton batting was removed by the returning Will Fraser-Smith who finished with 4-45. With Makin posting 4-57, the Ashton total of just short of 200 was below par. Rain meant that Marple had to press on to try and win the match, and a sparkling opening partnership between Andrew Hall and Mark Bennett set the basis of their victory. Hall went for a fine 50 but Bennett got the home side within sight of the winning post before falling for a splendid 73. Marple got over the line by 6 wickets with minutes to spare before the rains hit the ground. Tom Scott with keeper Ashton will have been pleased in some aspects of their performance and will be looking to continue their form when they welcome Haslington to the Beets in the next round of league games. Ashton’s 2nd XI were frustrated by the rain as they tried to chase down a challenging total set by Neston. Neston 262 all out ( Matt Brookes 96, Dan Warner 60, Sam Kingsman-Ali 4-44) Ashton 184-6 (Mike Roberts 68, Asmin Khan 63)