Match Reports

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

Macca Hooton bats Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 147 all out Beat Bollington CC 1st XI 141 all out Ashton on Mersey kept their survival hopes alive with a hard fought and tense win at Bollington. Choosing to bat first on a dry track, Ashton were rocked when opener Henry Murray fell to the first ball of the match. But Macca Hooton and Dave Patterson steadied the nerves with a fine 50 run partnership. With Hooton playing with his usual flare and Patterson giving fine support, the innings looked set fair, before spinner Toby Phipps entered the scene. Phipps bowled Hooton and Ryan Carey to retake the initiative for the home side. Ashton then suffered two run outs with Patterson and Tom Scott falling to over ambitious attempts at a quick single. Three more wickets to the admirable Phipps left Ashton teetering on 95-8 before Mike Roberts and Jackson Noske brought some sanity to proceedings. Noske hit out whilst Roberts played with his normal calm authority to take the score to 139 before Noske became Phipps sixth victim. When Roberts was last man out, the final score of 147 was below par but a substantially better total than had been feared. Phipps earned his excellent figures of 6-39. In reply Noske took an early wicket but Tom Horsfield and Keegan Fortune looked like building the game deciding partnership. Spinner Mark Weighill broke the pair, dismissing Horsfield for 48, before the introduction of Ashton’s skipper James Marshall turned the match in the visitors’ favour. Using all his experience, Marshall bowled a probing line which unsettled the home batters. Bollington wobbled and found themselves at 87-6 before Ryan Ouwerkerk dug in to bring the target within sight. But Marshall was not to be denied and when he removed Ouwerkerk, Ashton had the sniff of victory. With the tension mounting Bollington’s last pair came together with just 8 runs needed, but spinner Sam Thoburn proved up to the challenge, taking the final wicket to give Ashton a 6-run win. Marshall finished with a 5-37 match winning effort. Ashton go into next week’s clash with fellow strugglers Hale Barns knowing that another win will mean their season is still alive. The Ashton 2nd XI added to the joy by bringing home a win against Davenham at The Beets Davenham 144 all out (Simmons 64, Max Davies 3-16), Ashton 145-8 Max Scott 4-37). The 3rd XI lost a high scoring contest at Hyde. Hyde 209 -9 (Jamie Richardson 53, Finn Coburn 3-38)  Ashton 171 all out ( Charlie Eaton 59, Jamie Richardson 4-21) James Marshall bowls

James Lines flicks one to leg Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 216 all out Lost to Davenham CC 1st XI 218 -3 Ashton once again tasted defeat as they failed to contain promotion chasing Davenham at the Beets. Losing the toss and being asked to bat on a surface that gave early help to the bowlers, Ashton found themselves in trouble as the top order crumbled to 32-4. James Lines led the fightback with a pugnacious 50, before falling after a rain break disrupted the innings. The rain delays did little to help the Ashton cause, with the home team finding themselves struggling at 104-7. But skipper James Marshall and Mark Weighill dug in to restore some respectability to the score. Marshall played excellently before falling in the final overs for 58. Weighill gave great support before also departing in the final push for an admirable 43. The Ashton total of 216 represented a good recovery, although on a pitch which had lost its early venom, it seemed a very reachable target. The Davenham bowling honours were taken by Harry Garner who finished with 3-34. Davenham’s response began in dramatic style, as Jackson Noske clean bowled both openers to leave the visitors rocking at 7-2. But that was the end of the good news for Ashton as batters Regan Johnson and Jason Van Der Meulen took complete control of the game. The Ashton attack failed to bowl with any control, with the exception of teenager Charlie Eaton, who once again showed his immense promise as an all round cricketer. The rest of the Ashton bowling was hit to all parts as the Davenham pair put on 180 runs at better than a run a ball. Davenham eventually strolled to a comfortable win within 30 overs, leaving Ashton once again pondering their lack of options with the ball which has blighted their season. The 1st XI are now in deep relegation trouble and will need something remarkable in the coming weeks to avoid the drop. Cheer was once again restored by Ashton’s 2nd XI who stormed to a win at Urmston. Urmston 84 all out (Jaskaran Cheema 4-13) Ashton 86-5 Ashton’s 3rd XI lost to Grappenhall. Grappenhall 230-6 (Iain Wright 94, Adam Heap 4-35) Ashton 116-9 (Stephen McKinney 46, Zach Tully 4-34) Ashton’s Womens’ XI went down to a narrow defeat against Lindow. Ashton 92 all out, Lindow 93-8 (Naz Hancioglu 4) James Marshall steers the ball through the gully

James Marshall bats in cap Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 166 all out Lost to Mobberley CC 1st XI 167-2 Ashton on Mersey’s difficult season continued as they fell to defeat to Mobberley at The Beets. The toss proved vital, as Ashton were put into bat on a wicket that offered much help to the visitors’ seam attack. With the veteran Abdul Aqeel and Luke Stow bowling a splendid opening spell, Ashton’s top order had little answer to balls which had considerable lateral movement off a length. Despite a brave innings from Akash Patel, Ashton found themselves at 69-8 before skipper James Marshall and Sam Kingsman-Ali came together to bring some respectability to the score. As the pitch flattened out, the pair took advantage of the Mobberley change bowling, posting a 95 run partnership before Kingsman-Ali departed. Marshall was last man out for a splendid 52, having taken Ashton to a score which at least gave the home side something to defend. Stow finished with figures of 4-39 with Aqeel posting 3-28. In reply Mobberley took advantage of the improving batting conditions and despite the loss of a couple of early wickets the run chase never looked in doubt. Will Berrisford Ince (74 no) and Osman Butt (60 no) put on an unbeaten 125 run partnership to take the visitors over the line inside 27 overs, as the Ashton bowling flagged in a lost cause. The loss leaves Ashton stranded in the relegation zone with 7 games to go in the season. They will need something special across those games to avoid the drop. The Ashton 2nd XI brought some smiles back to the club with a comfortable win at Upton. Upton 137 all out (Sam Talbot 53, Ryan Carey 3-25, Aadam Ali 3-26),  Ashton 138-5 (Dave Patterson 35, Ryan Carey 35). Akash Patel bats in helmet

Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 107-5 Drew with Haslington CC 1st XI 224-8 Charlie Eaton bowls Ashton on Mersey were thwarted by the weather on a day when they put up a fine performance against title-chasing Haslington at The Beets. Choosing to bowl first after winning the toss, Ashton were soon on top as the opening attack of Charlie Eaton and Jackson Noske bowled a probing and controlled spell. With the Ashton support bowling keeping up the pressure, Haslington were reduced to 70-5 before the visitor’s Ben Istead took control of the effort to build a total. Batting with judgement and skill, Istead played a superb innings as he helped Haslington to a respectable score of 224-8 off their 50 overs. Istead remained undefeated on 108 at the innings’ close. Eaton took the bowling honours with well-deserved figures of 3-53. In reply Ashton made steady progress despite the loss of wickets, including a controversial decision which gave key man Henry Murray out bowled when the bails appeared to be disturbed by the keeper’s gloves. Despite that setback, Ashton looked set to mount a serious push for the target when the rains came and denied both sides a chance of the win. The result leaves Ashton in the relegation zone but with hopes that the improved form in the last few weeks will lead to a points push in the coming weeks. A weakened  Ashton 2nd XI fell to a heavy defeat at Haslington. Ashton 63 all out (Joe Cork 4-2) Haslington 64-0 (Will Dale 50 not out). Henry Murray bats

Henry Murray Drives Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey 1st XI 194 all out Lost to Marple 1st XI 195-4 Ashton fell to defeat at table topping Marple despite a battling performance on a rain interrupted day. Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Ashton shrugged off the loss of an early wicket to make a bright start with Macca Hooton and Henry Murray playing fluently against the Marple opening bowlers. But the introduction of spinners Joe Cash and Mark Makin turned the game in Marple’s favour. Cash bowled Hooton and Makin trapped Murray lbw before Tom Scott set about rebuilding the Ashton effort. Working with the Ashton middle order, Scott played cautiously to move the score along without ever threatening the acceleration which would have allowed the visitors to post a challenging total. Scott’s innings finished when he pulled a muscle and had to retire. The rest of the Ashton batting was removed by the returning Will Fraser-Smith who finished with 4-45. With Makin posting 4-57, the Ashton total of just short of 200 was below par. Rain meant that Marple had to press on to try and win the match, and a sparkling opening partnership between Andrew Hall and Mark Bennett set the basis of their victory. Hall went for a fine 50 but Bennett got the home side within sight of the winning post before falling for a splendid 73. Marple got over the line by 6 wickets with minutes to spare before the rains hit the ground. Tom Scott with keeper Ashton will have been pleased in some aspects of their performance and will be looking to continue their form when they welcome Haslington to the Beets in the next round of league games. Ashton’s 2nd XI were frustrated by the rain as they tried to chase down a challenging total set by Neston. Neston 262 all out ( Matt Brookes 96, Dan Warner 60, Sam Kingsman-Ali 4-44) Ashton 184-6 (Mike Roberts 68, Asmin Khan 63)

Jamal Benzafar bats Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 158-9 Lost to Cheadle Hulme CC 1st XI 161-7 Ashton on Mersey fell to another defeat despite an improved performance against Cheadle Hulme at The Beets. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Ashton were rocked before a ball was bowled as one of their top order batsmen had to withdraw from the game due to a domestic emergency. The challenges continued as early wickets fell to the opening attack of Scott Howarth and Andrew Wylie. But the experienced Jamal Benzafar dug in to stabilise the Ashton effort. Benzafar looked set for a half century before unluckily dragging a ball onto his stumps on 47. Runs from Akash Patel and James Marshall allowed the score to mount but when Marshall was last man out with the score on 158, the total seemed below par. The excellent Howarth was the Cheadle Hulme bowling pick, finishing with 4-47. In reply Ashton struck early with Jackson Noske bowling a fiery opening spell, well supported by teenager Charlie Eaton. Cheadle Hulme were rocking on 57-5 before Aayush Singh Slathia and Sam Walker came together to turn the game in the visitors’ favour. Their partnership reached 80 before Noske returned to remove Walker. But despite a final wobble, Cheadle Hulme got over the line for a three-wicket win. Noske was rewarded for a fine effort with figures of 4-35. Jackson Noske bowls The loss leaves Ashton rooted in the relegation zone although they will take some comfort from their improved performance. They will hope to continue the improvement when they visit fellow strugglers Christleton in the next round of league games. Ashton’s 2nd XI lost their top of the table clash with Didsbury. Ashton 145 all out (Nigel Bellamy 4-23) Didsbury 151-4 (Tom Brady 63 not out). Both the 3rd XI and Women’s team lost.

Charlie Eaton bats Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey 1st XI 66 all out Lost to North East Cheshire 1st XI 320-3 Ashton crashed to another ignominious defeat with a woeful performance at North East Cheshire. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a pitch which promised to be challenging for any batsman, Ashton’s bowling attack totally failed to exploit the conditions. Rather than bowling a probing length to trouble the batsmen, a series of short and wide deliveries gifted runs from the start. To add to Ashton’s inept effort, when chances did come their way, they failed miserably to take them. Nine catches were dropped in what became a nightmare day for the visitors. The only bright spot came from teenager Charlie Eaton, making his first appearance for the 1st team this season, who showed his more experienced teammates how to bowl to get the most out of the conditions. North East batsmen Jayden Camp (147 not out) and Jake Reynolds (120) feasted on the offerings of the Ashton bowling, allowing the home side to declare at 320-3 off just 40 overs. If Ashton thought their day could not get worse, they were wrong. With the home bowlers simply using the abundant help that the pitch provided, they took two Ashton wickets in the first two balls of the innings. The remaining Ashton batting fell apart, with a real risk that they would be bowled out for an embarrassing  tiny total. But once again Charlie Eaton showed the application and skill lacking in the rest of the batting lineup to post a fine 41, being last man out with the score on 66. Charlie Eaton bowls Dave Oldfield finished with the remarkable figures of 5 wickets for 3 runs off 10 overs. Ashton are in deep trouble this season and can only hope that the return of some key players and an honest rethink from some of the so-called senior players will help rescue the year. The Ashton 2nd XI continued their fine season with a home win against Hale Barns. Ashton 227- 7 (Ryan Carey 54) Hale Barns 201 all out (S Jaiswal 111 not out).

Macca Hooton bats Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 267-9 Drew with Bollington CC 1st XI 250-9 Ashton on Mersey continued their recovery from a poor start to the season, having the better of a high scoring draw with Bollington at The Beets. Losing the toss and being asked to bat first on a surface which had a touch of green, Ashton were soon in trouble as the opening bowlers reduced the home side to 16-3. But Macca Hooton stayed firm to lead Ashton’s counterattack. Supported by a sensible innings from Noman Ghous, Hooton played with freedom to take the total beyond 100 before Ghous departed. Hooton was joined by Akash Patel and between them they unleashed an assault on the Bollington bowling which saw Hooton cruise to a splendid century as the pair posted a 93-run partnership. Hooton finally fell for a superb 121, leaving Patel to lead the push for runs with the lower order. Patel eventually went for a well-made 72, after which the tail wagged to take the final Ashton score to an impressive 267. The bowling honours went to Toby Phipps, who finished with 5-79 In reply, Bollington’s opening bats started confidently with Harri Dickinson and Ross Duncan putting on a century partnership for the first wicket. The match turning moment came with the introduction of spinner Sam Thorburn, who removed both Dickinson and Duncan before troubling all the Bollington middle order. The visitors kept in the hunt with Theo Johnson hitting out at anything loose, but Ashton continued to chip away at the batting line up, with Mark Weighill grabbing 3 wickets with his spin. Ashton pushed for victory as the ninth wicket fell but on a pitch which had dried out into a fine batting surface, Bollington held on the prevent the home side from recording maximum points. Sam Thoburn bowls Thoburn was the clear star performer with the ball, finishing with 5-66. Ashton will be disappointed not to have grabbed the win, but they will have been satisfied to see a continued improvement to their performance, which they will hope to repeat when they welcome Hale Barns to the Beets in the next round of league matches. The Ashton 2nd XI stormed to a huge victory at Davenham. Ashton 244-3 dec (Farhan Ghous 100, Charlie Eaton 53 no, Asim Khan 50), Davenham 78 all out (Lee Heap 3-15, Yousuf Bhamjee 3-16). The Ashton 3rd XI made it a fine weekend by defeating Didsbury. Didsbury 195-9 (Will Wood 45, Mike Renison 41, Ben Brazendale 3-46) Ashton 197-6 (Saad Alam 71, Jack Prince 5-61).