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Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 151 all out Lost to Ashley CC 1st XI 253 all out Pictured: Sam Thorburn bowls Ashton on Mersey fell to a heavy home defeat on a day when the quality of the visitors’ batting was the decisive factor. Opting to bowl first on a pitch which promised a degree of early assistance, Ashton’s opening attack of Fraser Hay and Charlie Eaton each produced fine spells which removed both Ashley openers. With Zaheer Khan and James Marshall picking up a wicket apiece, Ashley were struggling at 52-4 before Ammad Mushtaq and Jahangir Mushtaq came together to move the game decisively in the visitors’ favour. The introduction of leg spinner Sam Thoburn removed Ammad for a fine 50, but Jahangir continued to press the accelerator, taking advantage of anything loose from the home bowling. Ashton stuck to the task, but this was Jahangir’s day. When he finally fell to Thoburn for 115, he had taken Ashley to a strong position, and despite Thoburn mopping up the tail to finish with 4-54, Ashley’s total of 253 was a formidable target. In reply Ashton lost early wickets and despite a battling 80 from Macca Hooton, the home side never looked like getting close to the required total. With help from James Newton (29) and Marshall (26no), Ashton reached the 150 mark, but the inevitable defeat came in the 36th over. Ashton will look back on the match with mixed feelings. Several players were carrying injuries which impacted to a degree on the performance, but they will regret the number of loose balls bowled to batters well equipped to take advantage of those offerings and will feel that better application from a number of their own batters would have produced a closer game. They will be looking to get back on track next week against table-topping Port Sunlight. Ashton’s 2nd XI recorded a fine win away at Neston. Neston 144 all out (Rafay Qazi 4-33 Max Lilley 3-14) Ashton 145-8 (Ragesh Nair 41, Yousuf Bhamjee 40 no) Ashton’s 3rd XI also won their game against Romiley thanks to a great bowling performance by Imran Sadiq. Romiley 87 all out (Sadiq 7-6) Ashton 91-5 (Zach Roberts 43 no) Ashton’s Womens XI who play in a combined team with Woodley CC fell to defeat against Didsbury. Didsbury 144-7, Ashton/Woodley 119-8. Macca Hooton bats

Beat Mobberley CC 1st XI 226 – 9 Fraser Hay bowls Ashton on Mersey recorded their first win of the season on a run-soaked day at Mobberley. With the home side winning the toss and choosing to bat first, the Ashton attack did well to limit the batters’ early efforts. Fraser Hay and Charlie Eaton bowled excellently to limit the damage threatened by the aggressive Mobberley top order, with Zaheer Khan (2-17) spinning through a tight ten overs to prevent any acceleration. But with Chris Turner playing an anchor role in the middle order and with the tail hitting out to good effect, Mobberley turned the game in their favour, finishing on a more than respectable 226. Hay finished with fine figures of 3-56. Turner remained unbeaten on 54, but unfortunately became unwell at the break and was taken to hospital. Our best wishes go to him for a full and speedy recovery. In reply Ashton lost an early wicket and there were fears that the fragile batting of previous weeks might be returning. But what followed was a batting masterclass from Mike Roberts who dominated the Ashton response. Playing with calm authority, Roberts was untroubled by the Mobberley attack, playing watchfully when needed whilst taking advantage of anything loose. Roberts brought up a bright 50 and then accelerated to shift the momentum fully in Ashton’s favour. Even a muscle strain which limited his movement could not stall Roberts in this mood. His hundred came up with one of the 5 sixes he hit during his innings, and he completed the task finishing the match on 120 not out, off just 129 balls. This was one of the best innings seen by an Ashton player in recent years and the win was exactly what the team needed to get their season underway. The Ashton 2nd XI fell short in a low scoring game at The Beets against Warrington. Ashton 57 all out (Tarique 4-14, Swarn Sandhu 4-19) Warrington 58-7 (Yousuf Bhamjee 3-7, Ryan Carey 3-20). The Ashton 3s fell foul to the weather but not before fine bowling efforts by young players Zach Roberts (4-27) and Adam Heap (4-38) helped Ashton bowl out Hyde for 163. The Ashton reply had only just begun when a thunderstorm wiped out play for the day. Mike Roberts bats

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 91 all out Lost to Haslington CC 1st XI 207-9 Image: Fraser Hay bowls Ashton on Mersey slumped to a heavy defeat at home to Haslington, as they failed to capitalise on a fine start to the match. Bowling first on a track offering some help to the seamers, Ashton had Haslington in all sorts of trouble as Fraser Hay and James Marshall ran through the top order.  With spinner Zaheer Khan posing more problems to the visitors, Ashton reduced Haslington to 83-8. But hopes of bundling out the visitors for a modest total were dashed by the excellent Ben Instead, who batted with calm excellence to rescue the batting effort. With support from the gritty Stephen Davies, Istead gave a batting masterclass to take the game away from a flagging Ashton attack. Instead fell just short of what would have been a well-deserved century, finishing on 96 not out having guided his team to 207-9 off their 50 overs. Marshall returned figures of 3-28 but the Ashton team seemed shellshocked by their failure to finish off the Haslington batting effort when they had the chance. In reply some bright cricket up front by openers Jamal Benzafar and Macca Hooton was snuffed out by two successful shouts for lbw. The rest of the batting failed to come to terms with the tight Haslington bowling and despite some late order hitting by Marshall (38), the home side slumped to a modest 91 all out. Tom Gledhill posted figures of 3-13 with Imran Khan returning 3-27. This was a disappointing game for Ashton, although the excellence of Istead needs to be acknowledged as the main reason for the loss. The Ashton 2nd XI lost a thrilling encounter away at Haslington. Ashton 172 all out (Lee Heap 59, Saeed Bhamjee 50, Joe Cork 4-40, Callum Istead 3-27) Haslington 173-9 (Will Dale 48, Kristian Green 3-30, Yousuf Bhamjee 3-48). Image: James Marshall bats

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

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