Weekend

So, in the end there was no fairytale. The 1s ended the season in the relegation zone and are looking towards Division 3 cricket next year. It was always a tough task, needing to beat a strong Cheadle Hulme side to stay up, and despite the lads trying their hardest we could not compete with a side a class above us. The bare bones of the result were that our guests posted 280-3 off 40 overs, based on a 190 2nd wicket partnership between Ollie Willett and Adam Wilde, Willett ending on 150 not out. In reply our quest for quick runs faltered as we lost wickets, resulting in us being bowled out for 150. There were a few “what ifs?” along the way. What if the catch off veteran Adam Wilde had not been off a no ball? What if the rain had stayed away from our game in the same way it stayed away from Haslington? What if Ashley had rocked up at Haslington with a stronger side than they did? But our relegation was determined less by our (and others) efforts on Saturday and more by us falling short in the 1st half of the season. The final table doesn’t lie and it shows us that we have underperformed. We have more talent than our performances would suggest and our focus will need to be on bouncing back strongly in 2026. The way we have fought over the last few weeks shows we have the heart and club spirit to turn things around and with younger players emerging, next season could be a very exciting fresh start. That spirit was seen in the 2s who demolished Stockport. A strong bowling effort blew our hosts away for just 70, with the wickets shared around. In reply we got over the line for the loss of just 4 wickets. The season has been a fine one for the 2s who finished in a comfortable mid table position. The younger players who have made their mark in the team will be pressing for chances in the 1s next term. So that’s it for the year. Not the outcome we wanted but throughout the season all players have represented the club in the finest traditions of Ashton. We play the game in the best way, respecting the game and our opponents, recognising that we are honoured to be part of the greatest game of all. Above all we play with a smile and enjoy the time we spend with the friends we make at this wonderful club. Winter well and let’s do this again in 2026. Be sure to come and join us over the autumn and winter for our social events, football matches, a game of pool/darts or just to check in for a drink and a chat!

The 1s found the going too difficult away at Christleton as they struggled to contain the home batsmen who racked up 275-5 in their 50 overs. Opening bat Ben Stoddart once again annoyingly demonstrated his class, although he was stumped one run short of a ton thanks to spin wizard Mark Weighill and demon gloveman Dave Patterson. In reply our batters didn’t get within realistic range of the target, although 49 from Charlie Eaton raised the spirits. The total of 191 was in the good but no cigar category. If the 1s avoid relegation from here it will be a story for the ages….. The 2s recent good run came to an end as a side missing many regular players fell well short against the Alderley Edge juggernaut at The Beets. Sam Thozer was his usual steady self with the bat but the rest found the 1st team standard bowling a tricky task to cope with. You know it’s not your day when a player who has just hobbled to slip after falling over with a leg strain pouches a low and quick catch the following ball……. The low target of 80 was brushed aside by the experienced batting of our guests, but not before some overs under the belt for rising stars Aaron Jones, Sam Boyd and Ethan White. And the sight of Mike Roberts donning the keeping kit allowed him to tick the boxes as a true club allrounder! The 3s found the experienced Trafford MV XI too much to handle on Sunday as our guests made use of a short boundary to rack up 314 against our varied attack. Centuries from Nishan Bhandary and Ashton old boy (should that be “very old boy”?…..) Steve Warner made our players work hard but everyone stuck to the task. In reply, good contributions throughout allowed us to get to 177-8 when the overs ran out, but once again this was an invaluable experience for all the players. Read more on Facebook

The Weekend Report… A series of stop start matches for the seniors over the weekend as we were reminded that rain does fall during the English summer. The 1s produced one of their better performances of the season to overcome Haslington at the Beets. Winning the toss (in itself a rarity this season) allowed us to bowl first and Tai Khan rose to the occasion to deliver one of the best new ball spells seen at the Beets in many months. His 4 wicket haul broke the back of the visitors batting effort and with Zaheer Khan also taking 4, it looked like our guests were heading for a low score. But some late order hitting helped them reach a respectable total of 170 despite some fine fielding and catching by the Ashton XI. A reduced target of 145 after breaks in play was easily reached as Dave Patterson and James Lines got us off to a flyer, leaving it to Haris Yassin to take us over the line with a classy unbeaten 50. The win still leaves us at the foot of the table but the candle of hope still burns for those of us who dream! The 2s came up short on their trip to Haslington. Batting first Ashton delivered a consistent effort, with contributions from Sam Thozer, Ryan Carey, Suhan Shetty and Will Kane, but no-one could go on to build a decisive innings and the total of 179 felt a little below par. And so it proved as the home team got to their reduced target of 165 thanks to an unbeaten 66 from Will Dale. The result leaves the 2s in mid-table with still plenty to play for in the coming weeks. The 3s lost another rain interrupted game at Bowdon. The hosts batted first and despite 3 wickets for Steve Abell they topped the 200 mark thanks to 87 from Piyush Kumar and 54 from Sulaiman Anis. In reply Tom Stockton led the way but when he was run out for 33 we struggled to keep up with the run rate as wickets fell. The innings closed on 106-7 with the game once again giving our developing players more experience of life at this level.