Charlie Eaton bowls
Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2
Ashton on Mersey 1st XI 112-2
Beat
Hale Barns 1st XI 109 all out
Ashton on Mersey kept their season alive with an emphatic win over fellow strugglers Hale Barns.
Winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Ashton made the most of favourable conditions to put the hosts under pressure from the start.
With opening bowlers Jackson Noske and Charlie Eaton bowling a tight spell, Hale Barns struggled to make any progress as the overs ticked by.
Whilst veteran Mike Hunter dug in to try and build the innings, the rest of the Hale batting came and went as the batters failed to rise to the challenge.
With spinner Sam Thoburn and seamer James Marshall bowling in tandem, wickets fell at regular intervals. The big hitting Ben Hicks tried to lift the Hale gloom, but when he was dispatched by Marshall, the innings fell away for a well below par 109.
Marshall led the wicket column, taking 4-33, but the most remarkable figures were returned by teenager Charlie Eaton who finished with 7 overs, 6 maidens, 2 wickets for only 1 run.
In reply, Macca Hooton and Henry Murray set the tone with a fluent opening partnership which snuffed out any hopes of a Hale Barns victory. Hooton went playing one shot too many but Murray pushed on, showing his class as he cruised to a fine 50.
Murray departed with the winning post in sight, but Dave Patterson and Jamal Benzafar brought home the win with 20 overs to spare.
This was a magnificent performance by Ashton which only emphasised how poorly they had played in the first half of the season. The result moves them out of the relegation zone, but they remain in peril with three games to go.
The Ashton 2nd XI made it a double winning Saturday, as they chased down a large total to beat Warrington at The Beets Warrington 246-7 (Jagadeesha 75, Ravi Sabba 58) Ashton 250-6 (Sam Kingsman-Ali 95 not out, Ryan Carey 48).
Ashton’s 3rd XI fell short in their clash with Ashley. Ashley 181-7 (Max Davies 3-33) Ashton 129 all out (Steve McKinney 50, Mohammed Waheed Munir 7-17)
Henry Murray bats
