Grappers “break their duck”

AFTER a disappointing start to the season in the Vivio Cheshire County League, Grappenhall “broke their duck” with a comfortable home win over Cheadle at Broad Lane.
They inserted the visitors on a good track and saw them put on 32 before Saqib Mahmood took his first wicket for the club.
At the other end, Gaz Burns bowled 14 overs to take 2-36. Wickets fell at regular intervals and Mahmood’s raw pace earned him finals figures of 4-39 while Same Guest claimed 3-37. Cheadle  were eventually bowled out for a modest 173.
Grappers lost their first wicket with 17 on the board but then Jimmy McCoy and Warwick Abrahim put on a further 90 before McCoy was caught in the deep for a hard hit 65.
Abrahim went on to score a well-constructed and stylish 53 and Grappenhall  reached their target with five wickets down when  Ian Wright hit a massive straight six.
The 25-point victory  was a much needed confidence booster for the home side who have looked very much out of form prior to this match.
Grappenhall 2nd kept up their unbeaten run with a draw at Upton – falling just 30 runs short of the 201 target set by the h ome side with two wickets remaining.
Matt Titchard was the pick of the bowlers with 4-80 from a marathon spell of 20 overs.
Grappenhall looked well placed at 120-2 but then lost wickets regularly and had to hang on for the draw at the close.
At home against newly-promoted Northwich, Grappenhall 3rd picked up their first win of the season, bowling out the visitors for 125 Arthur Pennington took four wickets with his leg spin while his brother Stanley picked up three.
Earlier they had hit 218-9 with Paul Tyerman hitting 55 and Scott Woodland 40.
Warrington picked up their fourth win of the season when they took on Irby at Walton Lea and remain second in the table.  Warrington 2nd earned a draw at Tattenhall.
In the TACS Partnership Cheshire League, Lymm Oughtrington Park could only manage a draw with Woodford at Oughtrington Lane while the 2nd XI also drew away at Woodford.
In the Cheshire Alliance, Glazebury lost at Holmes Chapel, while the 2nd XI went down to Capenhurst.
Appleton picked up a useful victory at Saughall and Stretton defeated the strong Tranmere Victoria at Stretton.
Rylands earned a good win at Mellor.