Wins at the weekend for Audlem's Cricketers

Saturday XI narrow win at Wood Lane

Audlem continued their good form and maintained their position at the top of the league thanks to a nail-biting 2 wicket win at Wood Lane. The villagers were made to work for their victory by a Wood Lane side who had only lost 1 game this season before Saturday's encounter.

Audlem captain Chris Shenton called correctly at the toss but, despite it being a very hot day, had no hesitation in electing to field first on what looked like a green pitch. Audlem got of to a great start when a short delivery from Swift was edged to Toraman in the gully and Wood Lane had lost their first wicket with just 2 runs on the board. Aggressive wicket-keeper batter Ben Foster strode to the crease and despite a couple of boundaries, found his stumps removed by Swift's opening partner Jayan. Any chances of the host collapsing like a pack of cards were dashed when Porter joined the home skipper Hagen at the crease. The pair batted well, rotating the strike putting on a further 58 runs for the 3rd wicket. When Porter departed, caught by Swift of the bowling of Ron Paul the score had reached 79-3. Hagen continued to impress despite continuously losing partners. He reached a deserved 50. He fell shortly after for a patient 51 from 96 deliveries. Wood Lane were eventually dismissed for 145 off the final ball of their allotted 40 overs. Ron Paul the pick of the bowlers with an impressive 6-24. There were 2 wickets each for Jayan and 2 for Swift to go with his 3 catches.

Audlem knew that chasing the target of 145 would not be easy, but would go a long way in maintaining their cushion at the top of the division. Openers Shenton and Wilson got Audlem off to a steady start, reaching 38 from the opening 10 overs before Shenton was the first to depart. The captain was well caught at long-off trying to push the scoreboard along. Rothwell came and went in the same over, before Wilson fell in the following over. At 42-3 Audlem were on the ropes and panic was beginning to set in. A scene of middle-order batters frantically trying to get their pads on! Shaik began his innings fluently but found himself short of his ground attempting a quick 2 and Audlem were in disarray at 51-4. Toraman and Parkinson steadied the ship a little, guiding Audlem to 77 before Parkinson fell victim to a ball that turned and bounced sharply before taking the edge of his bat. Salisbury and Toraman departed in quick succession and Audlem were well and truly staring down the barrel at 96-7 requiring a further 50 runs to win. Swift joined Jayan at the crease. Although scoring was slow, the pair began to develop a partnership. Jayan went against his instinct to defend and push the singles. Eventully the temptation got too much as his eyes lit up when receiving a full toss from the Wood Lane bowler. Unfortunately, he was caught and Audlem were 110-8 still requiring 36 runs for victory off the final 9 overs. Saini Nair joined Swift at the crease. The pair were cautious, but they knew that if they could take the game deep into the final few overs then they had a chance off catching up with the required run rate. Unbelievably they did just that. Swift struck 26 not out from 33 balls and Nair 16 not out and Audlem squeezed home in the penultimate over thanks to a scrambled bye to the keeper.

Audlem will hope that they can continue their winning ways when they host neighbours Woore for a local derby at Gorse Croft on Saturday. The match is a 40 over a side contest with the first ball to be bowled at 1pm.

Simon Swift

Sunday XI win with asistance from the weather

After last weekend's washout Audlem's Sunday cricketers hoped for better luck with the weather as they entertained their old friends, Lichfield Nomads . With last week's game being called off in the morning due to the rain forecast later that day a similar projection was delivered by the meteorology office but Lichfield were keen to travel and hope the forecasters were off the mark.

Audlem's skipper Ollie Banfield again called correct and decided to bat on a flat looking deck. This proved to be a good decision with the hosts racking up the runs in quick time despite losing opener Jack Allman on the third delivery of the game for nought. Young opening batsman Jake Topping ( 40 ) showcased his wide array of strokes putting the ball to all parts of the ground and alongside Irfan Sheik ( 50 )who played some delightful straight drives and gave the team an excellent platform. Good contributions from Usman Ghani ( 51 retired not out )Steve Whilde (28 ), Bertie Hardy ( 13 ) and Richard Irvine ( 17 not out ) ensured runs kept flowing despite an enforced prolonged rain break that reduced the game to 35 overs per team. Audlem were the happier of the teams at the tea interval with a good total of 233 for 6 on the board.

Just before the resumption of play the rain returned and further reduced the game giving Lichfield only 25 overs to reach the revised total of 193 ( Duckworth Lewis calculator) which given the conditions was a very difficult task. The visitors were never able to keep up with the high run rate and finished their reply on 112 for 8 with young Bertie Hardy being the pick of the bowlers taking 2 wickets for 22 runs off his 5 overs. The elements conspired against Lichfield on the day with the conditions heavily favouring the team batting first but they put up good resistance against all the odds.

Next Sunday Audlem entertain Malpas at The Gorse Croft.

John Wainwright

Audlem Cricket Club