1st XI slip to defeat at Knutsford

The 1st XI travelled to Knutsford on Saturday and suffered their second defeat of the season in a lacklustre performance as they lost by 6 wickets.

Skipper Callum McIlveen won the toss and elected to bat. This seemed the right way to go given the clear and sunny conditions, yet the green wicket proved troublesome to negotiate.

McIlveen and Chris Shenton opened the innings and the skipper soon became the first of five ducks for the visitors. Shenton continued his recent purple patch with three straight boundaries before being caught in the covers, slicing a lofted drive for 12. The return of last season's leading scorer Richard Wilson was a welcome boost and he grafted out 15 overs for his 16 whilst wickets continued to fall around him before Knutsford secured maximum bowling points, skittling the away side for just 69.

Knutsford got off to the worst possible start in their reply however, slipping to 2 for 2 with Simon Swift and McIlveen snagging an lbw each. It was in vain as the home side's middle order accelerated towards their target with minimal fuss, eventually securing victory by 6 wickets. Swift was the most successful bowler, claiming 3 for 37. To add insult to injury, Wilson dislocated his thumb in the field and was forced to find the nearest hospital.

Knutsford gained the maximum 25 points and Audlem 2. The 1st XI slipped two places to sixth in Division 2. On Saturday they look to get back to winning ways and gain revenge for the previous week's cup defeat when eighth-place Norbury visit the Gorse Croft. The match starts at 1.30 pm.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.