1st XI promotion hopes dashed by Trinity

Last Saturday the 1st XI entertained third-place Trinity knowing that only a win would keep their slim promotion hopes to Division 1 alive.  Unfortunately, Trinity hadn’t read the script and won the match, which was sponsored by DAS Garden Services, by five wickets.

Skipper Chris Shenton won the toss and decided to bat on what looked a good track.  Andy Rothwell (16) got off to a good start, hitting four boundaries as the score rocketed to 20 for 0.  However, when he and Neil Humphries were out in consecutive balls, the complexion of the match changed.  Andy Capper and Rich Wilson added 16 for the third wicket until Capper was out.  When Paddy Leese followed him back to the pavilion six runs later, Audlem were in trouble at 42 for 4.  The position became worse when Wilson (15) was out making it 47 for 5.

The middle order restored some hope of posting a defendable total as first Kemal Toraman and Qhama Matthews began to master the visitors’ bowling.  Top scorer Toraman (24) departed with the score on 82 and Matthews (18) lost his wicket fourteen runs later.  Meanwhile skipper Shenton was looking confident.  However, when Tom Kural was out the scoreboard showed a worryingly low 102 for 8.  Shenton tried to take the lion’s share of the bowling, but this led to his downfall ten runs later, when he was run out for 20, leaving tailenders Stuart Elkes and Lyndon Woodcock at the crease.  The innings was over at 118 when Elkes was bowled.  Richard Higginbotham was the main thorn in Audlem’s side, taking 6 for 49.

In their reply Trinity’s batsmen controlled the match from an early stage.  Elkes grabbed a wicket with the score on 25, but from then on the next four batsmen all scored double figures, with Woodcock taking a wicket and Neil Humphries two as Trinity cruised to 115 for 4.  Shenton brought himself on for one of his infrequent bowling spells and immediately took a wicket.  However, the match was over two balls later when the ball crashed to the boundary.

Trinity gained 25 points and Audlem just 7.  Although Audlem remain in fifth place, they are now 60 points off the promotion places.

Tomorrow the 1st XI are again at home, with ninth-place Heaton Mersey Village the visitors.  The match, which is sponsored by Anne Shepherd Resuscitation Training, starts at 2.00 pm.

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