September 2023

Mark Weighill bowls Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 186-7 Beat Christleton CC 1st XI 184-7 Ashton on Mersey completed an amazing great escape from relegation by beating Christleton on a day of high drama at The Beets. Going into the game Ashton knew that to avoid the drop  they had to win and either Hale Barns or Bollington had to fail to win their final fixtures. Being asked to bowl first, Ashton started steadily with the ball, restricting the visitor’s flow of runs. But the arrival Mubashir Hassan upped the tempo with a quick fire fifty, before a splendid catch by Jackson Noske accounted for the Christleton number three. The visitors made decent progress, punishing anything loose, but their final total of 184 looked within range given the strong Ashton batting line up and the fine pitches which have been characteristic of The Beets this season. Mark Weighill took the bowling honours with 4-66. The Ashton response stuttered as the top order all failed to capitalise on good starts. News from the other grounds added to the pressure as both Hale Barns and Bollington got off to good starts in their run chases, and with Ashton reduced to 117-7, the task looked beyond the home side. But skipper James Marshall and Mark Weighill dug in, slowly building the score to bring the target into sight. Reports came in of batting collapses at Hale Barnes and Bollington, with both those teams crashing to defeat. A win for Ashton would therefore save their season, and as the score mounted the tension grew. Marshall batted with superb skill and calmness, but overs were beginning to run out.  The climax came in the final over, with Ashton hitting the winning boundary off the first ball to prompt huge celebrations. Marshall’s unbeaten 46 was the game defining knock. The Ashton escape has been quite remarkable. With five weeks to go they seemed doomed, but the spirit with which they approached the final games, recording three wins in the period, has been a credit to the club. The Ashton 2nd XI finished their excellent season on a disappointing note, falling to defeat at Cheadle Hulme. Ashton 78 all out , Cheadle Hulme 82-5. James Marshall bats

James Marshall bats Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 141 all out Lost to Cheadle Hulme CC 1st XI 142- 8 Ashton on Mersey went down to defeat despite another battling performance which kept their season alive. Losing the toss and being asked to bat, Ashton soon found themselves in deep trouble as they struggled on a pitch which gave significant help to the home bowlers. Andrew Whylie and Usman Arshad gave the batters a torrid time as Ashton slumped to 36-7. But James Lines and James Marshall dug deep to rescue Ashton from the embarrassment that was facing them. With Lines hitting out and Marshall working the ball around, the pair dragged the visitors back into the game. When Lines fell lbw for 44, Marshall continued the fightback, farming as much of the strike as possible. When Marshall was last man out for a splendid 60, Ashton’s total of 141, whilst below par, was a fine effort given the early problems they faced. Whylie finished with excellent and well-deserved figures of 4-35. In reply, Cheadle Hulme looked in no trouble against the new ball, on a pitch that had lost much of its early spite. But Jackson Noske dug deep to remove both openers and Ashton kept the pressure on with the bowlers hitting good line and length. Wickets fell at regular intervals, and when Adam Wilde was dismissed by Marshall, Ashton saw the prospect of an unlikely win. But chances came and went, and Cheadle got over the line with two wickets in hand. Noske and Marshall took 3 wickets each but Ashton will rue the dropped catches that cost them dear. The result leaves Ashton still in the relegation zone with one game left in the season, but the points gap to safety leaves everything to play for next week. Ashton’s 2nd XI pulled off a splendid win against top of the table Didsbury at The Beets. Ashton 199-9 (Sam Kingsman-Ali 85 not out) Didsbury 193 all out (Jack Airey 67, Ryan Carey 6-27). Ashton’s 3rd XI went down to defeat at North East Cheshire. Ashton 136 all out, North East Cheshire 137-3 (Sam Westerby 53) Jackson Noske bowls

Tom Scott drives Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey 1st XI 204 all out Lost to North East Cheshire 1st XI 205-3 Ashton on Mersey fell back into the relegation zone after a loss at home to a strong North East Cheshire side. Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Ashton had a stuttering start with early wickets stalling the batting effort. Dave Patterson held things together but when he went Ashton found themselves struggling on 68-4. But the Ashton middle order came to the rescue, with Tom Scott leading the way. In partnership with James Lines and Akash Patel, Scott guided the innings towards respectability, taking the score to 193 before Patel fell. Unfortunately any hopes Ashton had of posting an above par total fell away as late order wickets tumbled, including Scott for a fine 70 . Some loose cricket saw the innings collapse to 204 all out as Ashton failed to bat out their overs. Bowling honours went to Toby Carson (4-20) and Daniel Williams (3-64) Ashton began the second innings with a bang as Jackson Noske took early wickets in a fine opening spell. But the arrival of North East Cheshire’s Jayden Camp turned the game to the visitor’s advantage. Camp produced an innings of class which demonstrated his credentials as one of the leading run scorers in the league. No bowler was spared as he rocketed to a superb unbeaten 110 off just 86 balls to win the game for the visitors within 39 overs. Apart from Camp the sides were well matched and Ashton could have done little to prevent the outcome. The bonus points they earned keep their season alive going into the final 2 games of the season. The Ashton 2nd XI brought back a fine win from their visit to Hale Barns. Ashton 134 all out (Peter Stubbs 4-17, Dave Saddington 4-37) Hale Barns 108 all out (Ryan Carey 3-12, Yousuf Bhamjee 3-23). Akash Patel defends