2026

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 3 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 238-9 Beat Winnington Park CC 1st XI 237-9 In one of the closest finishes ever seen by the club, Ashton maintained their lead at the top of the table with a crucial and dramatic victory over Winnington Park at The Beets. Batting first, Ashton made good progress with the top order all getting starts. The 95 third wicket partnership between Harris Yassin and Charlie Eaton was the bedrock of the innings but when both batters departed the innings stuttered. 4 wickets fell for just 6 runs and the large total which had been threatened looked somewhat distant. But some positive hitting from Sam Kingsman-Ali, Shasvat Kakkar and Kris Green allowed Ashton to reach 238 at innings close, a score perhaps 30 runs light of what might have been hoped for. Michael Dunning took the bowling honours with 4-34. In reply Winnington Park struggled in the early overs and with Zaheer Khan bowling with his usual control, the visitors looked well out of it when the 7th wicket fell at 144. But Jonny Wales was joined by Dunning and the pair battled back to bring the target within sight. Dunning was dismissed with just 12 runs needed, but with Wales still going strong the game looked beyond Ashton. With just 7 runs needed Green took Wales’ wicket thanks to a smart catch by Eaton, leaving  Winnington Park one over to get over the line with the last pair at the crease. Four singles were scrambled leaving two needed off the last ball with all results possible. Calm fielding saw only one run scored, leaving Ashton victorious by a single run. This was another terrific game of cricket in a season which has seen many such contests involving the resilient Ashton team. They remain 27 points clear of their title rivals with just 6 games to go. Ashton’s 2nd team continued their inconsistent season with a loss away at Winnington Park. Winnington Park 201 all out (Danny Westwood 51, Max Lilley 3-26, Zach Roberts 3-32) Ashton 168 all out (Matt Atherton 4-47) The 3rd XI went down to a 21 run loss against Didsbury. Didsbury 176-6 (Ruan Hamblett 50) Ashton 155 all out (Isaac Jones 4-35) The 4th team lost narrowly at Stockport. Ashton 180, Stockport 183-9 (Umer Saddiq 63, Sam Boyd 4-42). Pictured  Zaheer Khan bowls  Ashton celebrate their victory

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 3 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 184-1 Beat Stockport CC 1st XI 180 all out Ashton on Mersey kept up their title challenge with an ultimately comfortable win away at Stockport. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Ashton were rocked as the Stockport top order launched an assault on the opening attack. With boundaries flowing freely, the score passed 60 in just 12 overs. But Ashton stuck to the task and gradually wickets began to fall. Skipper James Marshall led the way, taking 5 -36 in his 10 over spell, which snuffed out the Stockport middle order as they tried to keep up the aggressive approach adopted by the top order. The innings finally ended with the score at 180, well below what might have been expected given the start made by the home side. In reply, Ashton made short work of the task at hand, as the home bowling and fielding fell well short of what was required and Charles Erasmus and Tom Scott took full advantage of the bowling to race towards the target. Scott fell for 43, but Erasmus was joined by Harris Yassin and the pair brought home the win with 23 overs to spare. Erasmus finished on 99 not out, agonisingly short of the century which his batting deserved. The win keeps Ashton 27 points clear at the top of the table with just 7 games left in the season. Ashton’s 2s made it a maximum points Saturday, beating Port Sunlight at The Beets. Ashton 279-6 (Sam Thozer 84) Port Sunlight 158 all out (Adam Pasgon 78) The 3rd and 4th team games were lost to the weather. Pictured James Marshall claims one of his 5 wickets Charles Erasmus on his way to 99 not out

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 3 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 274-6 Beat Warrington CC 1st XI 271 all out Ashton maintained their title challenge with a heart-stopping victory over Warrington at The Beets. Losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Ashton took full advantage of a flat batting track and a scorched outfield, with runs flowing freely. Whilst wickets fell as the home side pressed on, the run rate was maintained and a huge total looked on the cards. Charlie Eaton led the way, with a fine knock of 82, but the visitors stuck to the task and supported by some excellent fielding they prevented the game from running away from them. The innings was marred by an unfortunate injury to Warrington’s skipper, Harley Barratt, who damaged an arm diving for the ball. His absence was to prove crucial later in the day. Some late hitting allowed Ashton to progress to 274-6 at the innings break, a fine score but perhaps 20-30 runs light given the ideal batting conditions. In reply, Warrington batted superbly to try to meet the challenge. The game ebbed and flowed with Tom Higham leading the way with a superb 68. But Higham went to a splendid boundary catch by Charles Erasmus, and the effort seemed to have stalled. Erasmus took two wickets to leave the visitors needing 50 runs with the last available batters at the crease. With great energy Matthew Wright and Eswar Peddi kept pressing for what seemed an unlikely win. As the target got nearer, Peddi launched a huge six to leave Warrington needing just 4 to win. But Erasmus burst through Peddi’s defence with his next ball to take the last wicket and leave Ashton winners by just 3 runs. The fact that Warrington were a man down was a key factor in their heroic attempt falling short, but both sides deserve great credit for delivering a great game of cricket played in the right spirit. Ashton’s 2nd XI lost their contest away at Warrington. Ashton 200-7 (Sam Thozer 57) Warrington 204-6 (Patrick Tyrrell 60, Hassan Bukhari 51, Ryan Carey 4-40) The 3rd XI lost their Sunday clash with Bredbury St Marks at The Beets. Ashton 158 (Noman Zubairi 4-48) Bredbury 159-5 (James Guy 53 no) Pictured Charlie Eaton bats Charles Erasmus takes the final wicket