Feilen Steer Marple Home after Thomson Rescue Act for Macc!
Marple 225 for 4 (43.5 overs) beat Macclesfield 222 for 8 (50 overs) by six wickets.
Marple produced their best display in the league for several weeks to complete a double over Macclesfield last Saturday.
Although the pitch was an excellent one, and the brown, scorched outfield rapid, home skipper Jack Grundy elected to field first on winning the toss. Owen Reilly was back in the groove as Grundy’s opening partner, and in his first over he had Matt Fielding caught behind by Joe Bradley for one, and next ball saw Oscar Howarth sensationally caught at second slip by Mark Makin from a full-length dive to his right. At one for two, Macc were already up against it. Step up, former Derbyshire allrounder Alex Thomson. He anchored the whole of the visitors’ innings. He added 80 for the third wicket with Jimmy Longhorn, 30, and 75 for the fourth with skipper Jack Massey, 42. Marple’s bowlers then did well to chip away at the batting card, the final total being 222 for 8. Thomson was superb with 103 not out, containing 10 fours and one six. The home attack did a fine job in batter friendly conditions, with Reilly 3 for 37, Grundy 2 for 32, Charlie Hodgson 2 for 34 and George Clarke 1 for 26.
Marple openers Jack Feilen and Evan Turner then got the reply off to a terrific start. 99 runs flowed from a confident and attractive partnership. Turner’s 47 included eight sweetly timed boundaries. With Feilen well set, Charlie Hodgson played carefully at number three, adding a further 45 for the second wicket. From this point on, Feilen dominated the scoring, reaching a second classy century of the season, this time 102, including 13 fours. He fell, caught by Howarth off Brad Porter at 199 for 3, having added 55 with Reilly. Although Carter followed soon afterwards for just three at 209 for 4, Reilly completed a fine allround performance with 25 not out to see Marple home in company with Eliot Young, and more than six overs remaining.
It was a tough afternoon for Macc’s bowlers, but Sam Hughes, with 1 for 38 and Porter 2 for 44, always needed careful watching. Next Saturday, Marple travel to Toft’s scenic Cheshire setting, with a 12.00 noon start.
Marple seconds consolidated top spot in their league with a 137 walloping of Hyde seconds at Werneth Low. After being inserted, Marple posted a mammoth 271 for 6. All of the top six reached double figures, with Lewis Braddock back on song with 80, Eddie Vlews 63 and James Crisall 45 not out. Kian Vernon toiled away with 3 for 49 for Hyde.
Tom Reeve, 2 for 33, made a couple of early breakthroughs, and after that, Hyde never threatened to chase down the total. Sammy Crossland with 40 showed up well, but Marple’s spinners George Bailey with 4 for 27, James Hirst 2 for 38, and Ollie Hodgson 1 for 10, held sway, as the innings folded after forty overs.
At Compstall’s ground, Marple/Compstall 3rds best Holmes Chapel 2nds by 3 wickets in a nervy encounter. Lower order resistance saw HC eventually post 123 for 8, Mick Radford 26 and Harry Conlon 24 not out. Tommy Lloyd continued his fine season with 5 for 25, backed up by Sophie Sanders 1 for 22 and Neil Hurren 2 for 14.
Good middle order application from Lloyd 20, Will Darby 29, Tom Porter 26 and Sam Cunniffe and Tommy Seargeant 12 each saw M/C determinedly reach their target. Scottie Mitchell, with 4 for 45, proved a handful for HC.
It was a torrid afternoon at Offerton’s tree lined ground for M/C fourths. The home side posted a phenomenal 315 for 4 in the 40 overs. Andy Thomas a ferocious 141 not out and Dar 57 being the standouts.
However, not being deterred by the total, Craig Young, a fabulous 118 and Evan Powell 59 added 191 for the first wicket in reply! Inevitably though, scoreboard pressure told on the rest of the card once Young fell at 204 for 3. Still, 230 for 6 was a commendable effort from a young side. Yaqub had 3 for 52 and Kiani 2 for 27 for Of
Mark Brooks