Author name: Ian Roberts

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 3 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 107 all out Lost to Hale Barns CC 1st XI 140 all out Ashton fell to a disappointing defeat at promotion rivals Hale Barns, on a day when the ball dominated the bat. Losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, Ashton took early control as some keen bowling and fine catching saw the hosts lose both openers cheaply. A fine 50 partnership between Matt Spells and Khurram Hussain seized back the initiative for Hale Barns but when Charlie Eaton removed both batters the rest of the home batting struggled to cope with the Ashton attack. At the halfway point Ashton looked in the box seat, having dismissed Hale Barns for 140m which looked well below par. But after a bright start in search of the target, the Ashton batting faltered. Some poor shot selection gifted wickets to the home attack and the middle order collapsed. A late flurry from Shasvat Kakkar and a typically gutsy effort from Mark Weighill gave a glimmer of hope but in the end Ashton fell 33 runs short of what looked to be a modest target. This was a poor performance from a team which is far better than the result suggests and they will be looking to get back on track next week when they travel to another title rival, Heaton Mersey. The 2nd XI recorded a fine victory at The Beets over Heaton Mersey, Ashton 231-8 ( Saeed Bhamjee 61, Finn Coburn 43) Heaton Mersey 169 all out Max Lilley 4-33) The 3rd XI continued their fine season with victory over Stockport Georgians. Ashton 212-6 (Chirag Tapal 54, Vivek Tharaken 51) Stockport Georgians 131 all out (Ashish Gupta 3-29) The 4th XI won a tight contest at home against Hale Barns. Ashton 247-9 (Tom Cutler 102) Hale Barns 236 all out (Junaid Iqbal 106) Pictured Dave Patterson appeals  Mark Weighill batssea

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 3 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 159 all out Beat Irby CC 1st XI 123 all out. Ashton produced a battling performance to go top of the league table after defeating a spirited Irby side at the Beets. Opting to bat first, Ashton were rocked by the quick loss of both openers but recovered with Charles Erasmus and Charlie Eaton once again batting fluently. The pair put on a 50 partnership but both then fell in rapid succession. When a further wicket fell Ashton were looking shaky at 77-5 but Mike Roberts and Tom Scott steadied the ship as they saw off some accurate bowling from the visitors with another half century partnership. When that pair departed the tail wagged to take the score to 159, somewhat below par but a significant recovery from what might have been In reply Irby found themselves on the wrong end of an opening blitz from Kris Green (4-22)  and James Marshall  (2-37) who reduced the visitors to 34-6, in no small part down to some fine catching by the home side. A fine rearguard effort led by Kamran Hussain  threatened to pull off a remarkable comeback but when he fell to a spectacular catch by Harris Yassin for 57, the innings closed 38 runs short of the target. Spinner Zaheer Khan Posted another fine set of figures with 3-36. This was a fine example of a team working for each other, as their fine season continues. The next two weeks where Ashton play their title rivals will be pivotal in their promotion push. Ashton’s 2nd XI got back to winning ways with a fine performance at Ashley. Ashton 230-6 Sam Thozer 44, Chris Smith  43 no) Ashley 86 all out. Ashton’s 3rd team had no game this weekend. The 4th XI lost a high scoring game at Styal. Ashton 200-7 (Tom Cutler 61, Mo Shaddan 50) Styal 201-8 (Rohan Pattisapu 56 no) Pictured Kris Green bowls  Charlie Eaton takes a fine catch 

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 3 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 135-5 Beat Mobberley CC 1st XI 133 all out Ashton on Mersey’s fine season continued with a comfortable win on the road at Mobberley. Winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Ashton made the most of a pitch which gave some  help to the opening attack. Charles Erasmus and Charlie Eaton ripped through the home batting to leave then floundering at 74-8 before Mobberley skipper Ben Wood launched a counterattack that threatened to bring the hosts back into the game. Wood struck the ball cleanly to all parts, and with 7 fours and 4 sixes he fully enjoyed the freedom to hit which the match situation gave him. Wood finally perished as he went for one hit too many, becoming one of Eaton’s 5 wickets in the innings. With Erasmus taking 4-26, the Mobberley effort finally subsided to 133 all out, of which Wood contributed 66. In reply Ashton faced some challenging early overs but once the shine went off the ball the batters prospered. Whilst no-one went on to make a big score, solid contributions from Erasmus, Eaton and skipper James Marshall got Ashton over the line for the loss of 5 wickets. The win keeps Ashton 2nd in the league, just 2 points behind the leaders, Heaton Mersey. Ashton have a couple of hard games scheduled for the next two weeks, after which we will know more about their promotion prospects as the season hits the halfway point. Ashton’s 2nd XI continued their disappointing recent run with a loss at home to Upton. Ashton 102 all out (Chris Smith 49, Simon McGowan 5-10) Upton 103-4. Ashton’s 3rd team continued their fine season with a win away at Stock Trinity. Ashton 136 all out  Stockport Trinity 113 all out Ashton’s 4th XI went down to defeat against Urmston at The Beets. Urmston 191-6 Ashton 156 all out (Ethan White 48 no, Jack Fields 6-32) Pictured Charlie Eaton bowls and is applauded off after taking 5 wickets