The battle heats up at the top

3th July

Link to report

http://nssc.play-cricket.com/content/view.asp?id=10353827&cid=200

Premier Division

Hem Heath kept the pressure on Wood Lane when they collected maximum points against strugglers Little Stoke. Hem Heath won the toss and decided to bat and made their way to 176-9, Ben McQuire top scoring with 48, Daniel Richardson picking up his first five wicket haul of the season with figures of 5-41. In reply Little Stoke collapsed to 84 all out, Andrew Harris taking 4-30. Hem Heath move into second seven points behind leaders Wood Lane and Little Stoke are one point above the relegation zone.

Leek also maintained their challenge for the title, after they beat Longton batting second. Stefan Jones and Colin Dearden both took four wickets for Leek as they bowled the visitors out for 101. It took Leek 33 overs to knock the target off; they are now nine points off the pace at the top.

With their challengers both winning Wood Lane could only manage a winning draw against Stone. Batting first Wood Lane’s Daniel Brierley (72) and Steven Brierley (53 no) put their side in a strong position at 253-7 from 54 overs. Stone then made a strong start and Luke Cheadle (49) and James Dawson (47) put on 81 for the opening partnership, but Stone could only reach 220 from 56 overs.

Sandyford sit bottom after losing batting second to Audley. The away side set Sandyford 224 to win, Robert Hemmings top scored with 53. In the second innings Craig Barker set about the strugglers batting line up as he took 7-69 and Sandyford were dismissed for 160. Little Stoke are now seven points from safety.

Barlaston, in their bid to beat the drop, got the winning draw against Porthill Park. Dan Hancock (91) and Ian Butler (53) helped Porthill set 263-6 from 54 overs. In reply Barlaston reached 244-7 from 44 overs. Barlaston sit one point behind Little Stoke in safety.

Burslem beat Knypersley batting first by 24 runs. Burslem set the home side 154 to win, Michael Rowley (48) and Christopher Roberts (42) being the main contributors. Imran Arif then tore through the Knypersley batting line taking 8-46 as they were dismissed for 129.

Division One

Cheadle have secured their place in the Premier Division by picking up maximum points against rock bottom Oulton. Adam Alcock’s 106 not out set Cheadle on their way to 286-8 from 54 overs. In reply Oulton were dismissed for 177, James Sellers and Simon Plant both picking up four wickets.

Elworth are also placed in a strong position, after they won batting first against Meir Heath. David Toft stabilised the Elworth innings with 68 as they were dismissed for 154, Iftikhar Asghar taking 5-35. Meir Heath then fell narrowly short finishing on 141 all out, Steve Morgan taking 7-44.

Checkley’s promotion challenge took a huge blow when they lost to Leycett. Checkley won the toss and decided to bat, and didn’t get off to the best start, but numbers eight and nine Richard Cooper (51no) and Gavin Carr (50no)  got Checkley to 176-7.  Leycett knocked off the total in the 62^nd over, Richard Walker (72no) saw his side over the line and was supported by Tas Hussain (60). Checkley are now 27 points behind  Elworth.

Blythe are one point from safety behind Betley after losing to Moddershall. Blythe won the toss and put Moddershall into bat and Chris Plant top scored with 76 as the home side finished on 241-9, Peter Finch was the pick of the bowlers taking 5-87. Blythe then got off to the worst possible start and found themselves 0-3, which then turned into 57-8. Aqab Ahmed put some respectability into the innings with his 63, but they were dismissed for 138, Shaun Brian taking 6-26 from 14.5 overs.

Betley couldn’t take advantage of Blythe’s loss as they also fell to defeat against Norton. Betley batted first and stumbled to 129-9 from their 55 overs, Neil Harrison (54no) being the mainstay of the innings, Geeth Alwiss picking up his fourth five wicket haul of the season with figures of 5-32. Norton chased down the target in 29 overs.

Weston move four points clear of the relegation zone with a winning draw against mid table Whitmore. Weston’s top order all fired, with Raj Kumar leading the batting line up with 90 as they finished on 283-5 from 53 overs. In reply Whitmore reached 254-7 from 57 overs Justin Mould top scoring with 57.

Division Two

JG Meakin sealed their promotion and the division two title with maximum points against Bagnall. Matthew Redican at number eight for Meakin hit 87 as they set Baganll 279 to win. Bagnall then slumped to 128 all out, Simon Gordon hitting 55 and the only other person to make double figures was Colin Wilkinson. Bagnall are 21 points from safety.

Caverswall moved into second place when they beat relegated Crewe batting first. Rob King’s 80 not out helped Caverswall to 210-4 from 38.4 overs. In the second innings the only resistance Crewe put up was through Yasser Tariq (63) as they collapsed to 116 all out.

Ashcombe moved into third place one point behind Caverswall after they beat Kidsgrove batting first. David Proffitt (72) and Phillip Clowes (68) held the Ashcombe innings together as they were dismissed for 193. Kidsgrove in reply were all out for 180, Greg Massingham (60) top scoring, while Proffitt (3-17) was the pick of the bowlers.

Silverdale dropped to fifth after they lost Bignall End who have now moved 30 points clear of the relegation zone. Bignall End batted first and set promotion chasing Silverdale 184 to win, Simon Howle (69) being the mainstay of the innings. Silverdale then collapsed to 119 all out, only opener John Shenton (57) giving resistance. Silverdale are now five points behind Caverswall .

Fourth placed Newcastle & Hartshill could only manage a winning draw when they were unable to bowl Alsager out after setting them 201 to win. Openers Andy Elliot (54) and Muhammad Fayaz (46) were the main contributors to the Newcastle & Hartshill innings.  Alsager then managed to make it to 111-6 from 36 overs. Newcastle & Hartshill sit four points behind second place.

Richard Brazier’s century was enough to brush aside Rode Park & Lawton. Having restricted Rode Park to 148 Brazier smashed 105 not out from 108 balls as Stafford knocked the total off without losing a wicket.

Division Three

Eccleshall confirmed they are Division Three champions, after they beat rock bottom Wootton batting second by four wickets. Wootton were restricted to 154-8 from their 55 overs, Josh Stevens (53) top scoring. Eccleshall then reached the total with the loss of six wickets.

Woore remain in second place after they were able to defend 194 against Norton-In-Hales. After a slow start it was Mohammed Shanavaz Jamal who helped Woore get up to their total. In reply Norton-In-Hales were dismissed for 154, Kannathasan Kavithasan and Andrew Kenvyn both taking four wickets.

Oakamoor are seven points behind Woore in third place after they beat Endon by four wickets. Oakamoor won the toss and put Endon into bat and the home side had runs throughout the top order, Alex Bailey (46) top scoring, as Endon set Oakamoor 192 to win. They reached the target in the 39^th over, Muhammad Ayub (79) and Eddie Brookes (62no) were the main contributors to the innings.

Forsbrook fell behind in the promotion race as they could only manage a winning draw against Fenton. David Mitchell (69) and Matthew Bailey (67) helped Forsbrook set the home side 260 to win. In reply Fenton made it to 156-4 from 42 overs. Forsbrook are now in fourth place 19 points off the pace.

Moddershall beat Hanford batting second by three wickets after they restricted the home side to 160, Muhammad Masuod Akhtar’s 61 not out being the main contributor. Sam Moores (49) then set the tone for Moddershall and Dave Stupples (40no) saw his team over the finishing line.

Stone won batting second against Wedgewood & Stanfields by eight wickets. Stone dismissed Wedgewood for a modest, 100 Neil Podmore the pick of the bowlers picking up figures of 5-32. James Sutton (40no) and Nicholas Cooper (30 no) then guided Stone to victory in 22 overs.

Stone stay in the chase

20th August

Link to report

http://nssc.play-cricket.com/content/view.asp?id=10351672&cid=200

Premier Division

Wood Lane maintained their lead at the top after beating rock bottom Sandyford by eight wickets. Asad Ali set the tone for the league leaders in the first innings with the ball, with figures of 8-46 on his way to dismissing Sandyford for 106. Wood Lane reached the target in the 30^th over, Matthew Hagan batting through the innings hitting 58.

Stone remain eight points behind Wood Lane when they beat Porthill Park batting second by seven wickets.  Porthill set Stone 172 to win Dan Hancock top scoring with 33 and Russell Ballard (6-63) doing the damage with the ball. Luke Cheadle (78) and Charl Malan (55 no) then scored the bulk of the runs for Stone as they knocked the runs for the loss of three wickets.

Third placed Leek also won batting second against mid table Burslem. Leek kept it tight with the ball bowling Burslem out for 131 from 47.1 overs. Derbyshire pace-man Stefan Jones (4-47) was the pick of the bowlers. In reply wicket keeper batsmen Alex Mellor then dominated the Burslem attack striking 84 off 71 balls, as Leek chased down the total for the loss of four wickets.

Little Stoke won the relegation clash against Barlaston and moved above them and out off the drop zone. Batting first Richard Adams (78) helped Little Stoke post 229-9. In reply Kafi Kahn made 76 before he was run out and Barlaston fell for 158 from 45 overs , Gareth Morris picking up 5-51.

Hem Heath kept their title hopes alive, beating Longton by 131 runs. Hem Heath looked to be struggling on 97-6, but late runs down order by Stephen Atkinson (66) ensured they made it to 231, despite William Pursers best efforts taking 6-76. In reply only Tom Redfern made 30 after Longton collapsed to 100 all out, Mo Hussian the pick of the bowlers claiming 3-9 off nine overs.

Knypersley gained the winning draw against Audley, having scored 190 from their 55 overs, Ross Salmon hitting 83. Knypersley with help from Nayyar Abbas (7-66) just managed to hold on as Audley finished just three runs behind with one wicket remaining.

Division One

In the race for second place Elworth came out on top as they beat third place Checkley by four wickets. Having won the toss Checkley batted first and were dismissed for 136, Yasir Ali (5-30) doing most of the damage. David Toft in reply made 63 as Elworth passed their promotion rivals total in the 43^rd over. Checkley now sit 21 points behind Elworth.

League leaders Chealde maintained their gap at the top at 32 points, when they beat Meir Heath batting second. Meir Heath were restricted to 181, Ian Bailey taking 4-33. In reply Dave Wheeldon was the mainstay of the innings hitting 60 not out as he saw Cheadle over the line for the loss of seven wickets.

Raj Kumar’s 140 wasn’t enough to avoid defeat against rock bottom Oulton as they kept their slim survival hopes alive. Kumar helped Weston set Oulton 272 for victory, and substantial knocks from Ben Cox (76), Tom Spruce (67) and Rob Spruce (64) helped them past the target with four wickets remaining. Oulton are now 36 points behind Weston and safety.

Jason Jinks’s 88 ensured Leycett didn’t get dragged into the relegation battle when they beat second to bottom Blythe. Blythe posted 186-8 from their 55 overs Adam Prime top scoring with 34 not out. In reply Jinks set the standard at the top of the order, before Tas Hussain added to his four wickets in the first innings with 44 not out as he saw Leycett home to win by six wickets.

Matthew Cope’s century was enough to beat Betley by 103 runs. Moddershall had a solid platform before Cope came to the crease at 81-1. Cope then batted through the innings as he hit 101 not out, after A Thorley had struck 71. Moddershall finished their innings on 276-5. Nazakat Ali then took 4-31 as Betley in reply were dismissed for 173.

Norton won easily by at home against Whitmore by eight wickets. Abdul Aqeel struck 90 not out as Whitmore were reduced to 173 all out Geeth Alwiss was the pick of the Norton bowlers as he took 5-61. Alwiss then hit 69 not out as Norton eased past the Whitmore total.

Division Two

Bagnall are now only nine points from safety after they picked up their fifth win in six against relegation rivals Bignall End. Batting first Bignall End were dismissed for 142, Kashif Daud and Colin Wilkinson both picking up four wickets. Bagnall then stuttered over the finishing line six wickets down.

Table topping Meakin went down by seven wickets against Newcastle & Hartshill. Peter Wilshaw (58) helped Meakin to 154, with Andy Parkes taking 5-22. Simon Wood then lead the Newcastle & Hartshill batting line and hit 65 not out as his side reached the total inside 36 overs.

Ashcombe couldn’t take advantage of Meakin’s slip up as they  lost to Rode Park & Lawton. Batting first Rode Park reached 188 from their 55 overs, Jonathon Gallimore top scored with 58. In reply Ashcombe were reduced to 163 all out, Steve Liburd taking 5-71.

Silverdale are still in the hunt for promotion after they beat bottom of the table Crewe by 101 runs. John Shenton (75) and Mick Moore (76 no) helped Silverdale post 213-9. Crewe then collapsed to 112 all out, even with the best efforts of Fionn Webb (50).

Kidsgrove beat Alsager batting second by two wickets. In the first innings Oliver Sadler batted through the innings for Alsager as he hit 88 not out and his side finished on 175-9. In reply Kidsgrove lost wickets at regular intervals but Tom Lench (62) stabilised the innings got past the total in the 43^rd over.

Caverswall gained the winning draw against Stafford. The Caverswall openers set a solid platform, Owen Price (54) and Jake Edge (71) put on an opening partnership of 125 and Caverswall made 210 in total. Stafford then managed to hold onto a draw nine wickets down Edge picking up four.

Division Three

There are now only three points between second, third and fourth places in Division Three as the race for promotion heats up.

Oakamoor leap-frogged Forsbrook into second place when they beat them by six wickets. Forsbrook stuttered to 123 all out, Muhammad Ayub was the pick of the bowlers taking 3-7 from 10.3 overs. Ayub then hit 68 as Oakamoor eased past the total in the 31^st over.

Gtowtham Rathnasabapathi moved Woore into the promotion chase as they beat Hanford by 110 runs.  Rathnasabapathi hit 124 at the top of the innings as Woore set Hanford 252 to win. Only Rodger Davis came to terms with the batting as he made 56 as his side were out for 141.

Eccleshall maintained their lead at the top beating Endon by six wickets. Endon collapsed to 132 all out Cameron Sinclair taking 8-46. They then had no problem knocking the total off Jake Derry (47 no) and Sinclair (33 no) seeing them over the line.

Youngster William Kent helped rock bottom Wootton to their third win of the season. Kent opened the bowling and had figures of 3-35 from 14 overs, as Norton-In-Hales were dismissed for 191. Kent then came in at number 10 still needing 41 to win after Clem Mellor (49) and Sid Barker (45) both made starts. Kent saw Wootton over the line finishing on 27 not out from 53 balls.

Stone stayed in the promotion race picking up maximum points against Fenton. Stone got off to a poor start, but Johnathon McCredie (50)and Nicholas Cooper (52) steadied the ship and they managed to make 222-7. In reply Fenton were all out for 164, Chris Mellor (59) top scored.

Moddershall A managed to hold onto a draw in a close game against Wedgewood & Stanfields. Wedgewood set Moddershall A 236 to win, Michael Perry top scored with 71. Moddershall A finished nine runs short of the winning total but only had one wicket in hand. Michael Dyer (88) and Hareesh Reedy (58) being the mainstays of the innings.