2nd XI win see-saw battle to stay top

On Saturday the 2nd XI travelled to third-placed Styal looking to extend their winning run to eight games. It was a lovely, hot, summer's day and what followed was a wonderful, see-saw game of cricket that was a credit to both teams.

Skipper John Wainwright won the toss and decided to field first and opened the bowling with an all-spin attack, Roy Wild and Dave Parry. The aggressive Styal opener, Bradley Sloan, took three boundaries off Parry's first over as the home side made a menacing start. Parry soon took his revenge, however, when he bowled Sloan with a beautiful delivery that cut in appreciably.

Styal started to rebuild their innings slowly but surely and took the score to 48 for 1. Styal then lost two wickets without adding to the score as Audlem then took complete control of the match. The Audlem spinners bowled a superb line and frustrated the home batsmen. Wickets started to tumble regularly as the home team's batting fell part.

Styal looked dead and buried with only ten players and the scoreboard showing 90 for 8. However, their last pair, Jim Harrison and Usaed Hafeez, put on an amazing 68 for the last wicket before the innings closed on 158. Harrison blasted a superb 57 before being bowled by Phil Backes. Audlem were running out of ideas fast and missed a cutting edge during this frustrating last wicket stand. Parry was the chief wicket taker with 4 for 44.

In their reply, Audlem's top order completely collapsed in the face of some superb, aggressive fast bowling from Sloan as they lost five wickets for 37. Parry and Paul Thorburn launched a mini-revival until Thorburn was dismissed, making it 61 for 6.

In stepped young Danny Thorburn. The match was about to take another turn. Thorburn and Parry batted superbly and sensibly. The score started to creep up. The pair added 53 before the next amazing twist when Parry was run out for a 36 valuable runs by Sebastian Ruscoe, the son of Audlem's keeper Tim. Skipper Wainwright had allowed 11-year old Sebastian to field for Styal as their eleventh man.

When John Chadwick was out the score was a sorry 117 for 8. But then Thorburn built a crucial partnership with Wild to take the score to 132 before Wild was bowled. In came last man Tim Ruscoe with 27 runs still needed for victory. The pair slowly started to build a partnership as they took all the singles that were available and looked in no danger at all as the score crept ever nearer to the target. Finally, Ruscoe blasted a boundary to make it 162 for 9 and an amazing victory was Audlem's. Thorburn remained unbeaten on a magnificent 25 and Ruscoe was 14 not out. Sloan finished with 5 for 41.

Audlem gained 20 points and Styal 13. The win keeps the 2nd XI top of Division 5, 45 points ahead of Styal, who moved up one place.

On Saturday, the 2nd XI travel to Bramhall-based Trinity, looking to continue their magnificent run.

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