Huge boost for Grappers’ survival fight

GRAPPENHALL managed to beat the opposition and the weather on a day when many cricket matches were washed out.
The 37-run victory at struggling Bowdon was a huge boost for Grappers’ fight to avoid relegation from the Vivio Cheshire County League premier division. It pushes them up to seventh place in the table and drags a host of other clubs down into the relegation mix.
With four more games to go, Grappers’ destiny is now in their own hands.
The game was reduced to 36-overs due to heavy rain in the morning and Grappenhall were asked to bat first on a difficult pich.
Jamie Bye, 34 and James McCoy, 22, gave them a good start and after that only skipper Adam Roylance, 27, and Luke McCoy, 17 showed anything like form as the innings fell away to 139 all out in 33.4 overs.
Grappers needed early wickets – and got them. At one stage, Bowdon were 56-6, Arran McCabe doing most of the damage with 4-24.
A set back came when Aussie import Owen Lynch (pictured) was injured fielding, suffering a dislocated shoulder that could spell the end of his season.
But that didn’t stop Grappers running through the Bowdon tail, with Gaz Burns bagging a hat-trick to end the match with three overs to spare.
He finished with 3-30 and Roylance got 2-23.
Grappenhall 2nd continued their excellent form with a comfortable win over Bowdon at Broad Lane.
The visitors were restricted to 137-9 with Ross Arrowsmith taking 3-33.
Grappers chased down the runs to win for the loss of only one wicket.
Sixteen-year-old Arthur Pennington was the star with the bat hitting the winning runs to reach a magnificent unbeaten century.TimSykes hit 32 not out.
Grappenhall 3rd earned a hard-fought draw at top-of-the-table Sale who hit 185-6, benefitting from some dropped catches and ill-disciplined bowling.
Things did not look for Grappers when they were soon struggling at 13-3 but the lower order stood firm and managed to bat out for a draw.
Warrington’s 1st, 3rd and 4th teams had their games washed out but Warrington 2nd travelled to Oxton to win by 81 runs.
Put in after losing the toss, Warrington were in deep trouble at 61-7.
But Raj Soni, 67, and Simon Hewitt, 24 not out, came together to take the total to a defendable 166.
Hewitt was again soon in the game taking 3-18 and setting up the scene for Phil Whelan, 5-25, to destroy the home side’s middle order as they were bowled out for 85.
In the Cheshire League, Lymm Oughtringto9n Park lost heavily at Hale Barns, where the home side
amassed 244-4, with skipper Travis Scholes, 2-65, the only Lymm bowler to take a wicket.
Lymm were rolled over for 75, with Nick Chadbourne, batting at nine, hammering an unbeaten 32, including five fours and a six.
The 2nd XI game at Lymm went the other way, with Lymm hitting 114, Arvind Pillai, 66 and Hale Barns being tumbled out for 49.
Tony Spaven, 5-18 and Graham Waumsley, 3-29, bowling unchanged to take the wickets.
Appleton reached 155-8 at Langley, Lee Stoll hitting a fine 86 but rain brought proceedings to an end when the home side were 26-1.
Stretton 2nd won by seven wickets after restricting Barrow to 187-6.
Glazebury 2nd fought out a draw at Hurst Lane, hitting 192-9 and restricting Ashley to 171-6.