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Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 141 all out Lost to Bollington CC 1st XI 144-4 Image: Tom Scott bats Ashton began their delayed 2024 campaign on the wrong side of a hard-fought game at Bollington. On a freezingly cold day, Bollington’s correct call at the toss proved crucial with Ashton having to bat first on a pitch which unsurprisingly showed the effect of the wet spring. With the ball holding in the surface, batting was a case of survival rather than stroke making. The home attack exploited the conditions well, restricting Ashton to just 32 runs in the first 19 overs. Ashton kept wickets in hand on the hope that conditions might improve later in the innings, and gradually the run rate improved as Tom Scott (31) and Fraser Hay (26) took advantage of anything loose. But this was a pitch where hitting out needed both a brave heart and a great deal of luck, and whilst the former was clearly evident the latter was sadly absent from the Ashton innings. The total of 141 was a sterling effort from the visitors given the circumstances. The Bollington bowling was generally excellent, with fine performances from Aldo Palazzo (3-16), George Lomas (2-28) and Muhammad Kashif (1-17). In reply, the Bollington openers played aggressively from the start as the batting conditions eased. Wickets from Hay and Zaheer Khan stalled the advance and at 48-3 the match was in the balance. But calm cricket from Lomas (25) and Ross Duncan (34) took the home side to the brink, before Peter Henshall (26) took Bollington over the line with some lusty blows. Zaheer finished with 2-24 and Hay with 2-44 as Ashton battled hard until the end. The spirit of the Ashton team and their effort in the field could not be faulted. Ashton’s 2nd XI lost their first game of the season against a strong Upton side. Upton 226-5 (Tom Woods 96, Paddy Delaney 40) Ashton 156 all out (Kristian Green 37, Steve Mckinney 35, Joe Green 3-30). The Ashton 3rd team lost their opening T20 match at home to Marple. Ashton 55-9, Marple 56-0. Zaheer Khan bowls

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