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Man of the Match Dan Jones succeeded in making a minefield of a wicket look like a feather bed in a bad tempered 3rd XI top of the table clash at Radcliffe. When Elliot had the temerity to ask the home side to move their single sight screen to accommodate a left hand/right hand combination, you'd think he'd asked the Radcliffe captain to stick his hand in the chip pan such was his reaction to both Elliot and the Umpire who had the cheek to suggest it was a good idea. God only know what would have happened if the skipper had dared to suggest that rolling the wicket during the interval might have been a nice idea. 

Meanwhile, on the field, the unpredictable nature of the playing surface made 2nd placed Radcliffe's 88 look like a par score as Sash Pushparajah frightened the home side's batsmen to death posting 4-7 in eight overs, supported by five bowlers with a wicket apiece and a run out that generated yet another tantrum of spoilt child proportions from the unfortunate batsman. 

The 88 all out was achieved in 34 overs, which is as well, as the time allotted for the whole innings was a mere minute or two from expiring after the fielders were tasked with moving the screens every thirty seconds.

The minefield exploded into life again after the break and suddenly the table toppers found themselves 9-3, but Dan Jones, rocking on to the back foot at every opportunity, started almost immediately, to time the ball. 

Aided by Ollie Dunn, who posted the best five runs of his career, they pushed the score to 48 with Dan contributing 39, when Ollie finally succumbed, with Oscar following the very next ball. Any remaining fears were instantly dispelled as the noisy fielders were silenced by Tom Worthington who looked like a reincarnation of former Radcliffe pro Sir Garfield, as he stroked the ball around for his 24 off 27 balls, partnering Dan to his 56 not out and securing a six wicket win that opened a nine point gap at the top of the Sunday Premier table. 

Big Steve Mac has played some scintillating innings since returning to the cricketing fold, including 1000+ runs last season, but his innings on Saturday at Prestwich was an early contender for outstanding performance of the season. Stepping into the first XI as opening bat, the 2nd XI skipper took on the Prestwich attack and carried his bat to register a thrilling victory.

It was obvious from the opening overs that the recent deluge had produced an extremely bowler friendly pitch and Finn and Ollie strangled the Prestwich batting line up. When the first wicket fell to Ollie off the 28th delivery of the game, there were only six runs on the board, only two of which had come off the bat. 

The pair continued to torment the batting line up with further wickets falling in the 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th overs, leaving the home side at 30-5. A partnership ensued that took the score to 73, before Ollie took his 3rd wicket and despite a few mini partnerships, Praharsh stepped in with four wickets to bring the innings to a close on 133. That score was pretty much a par score in the conditions, but given the absence of Gareth Cross, Ollie's 3-32, Finn's 3-26 and Praharsh's 4-24 were highly commendable performances. 

We needed a solid start, and for the second week in a row, we got it with Steve and Caleb putting on 36 before Caleb misjudged a drive and was bowled. The experiment to promote Jordy to number three failed and suddenly at 36-2, the game was in the balance again. 

Sam and Macca ground their way to 65 before Sam succumbed for 15 and Steve, Ben and then Zach spent seven overs grinding their way through the seventies. Wickets fell at 78, 96 and two at 108, at which point Prestwich were slight favourites at 108-7, but another stand-in, young Owen, joined his second XI skipper at the crease and they eased their way to a memorable three wicket win with big Steve completing his half century and Owen (6no) having the honour of the winning hit. 

Wins at Prestwich are as rare as hens' teeth and, without the services of several players, this must surely instil some much needed confidence in the side. Although it wasn't Jordy's day on the day, the three second teamers that have come into the side have stepped admirably up to the plate and helped boost the side from rock bottom to the dizzy heights of 8th in time for the trip to moneybags Shaw next week, whose outlay has not had the desired effect as they languish next to bottom of the table.

Hindley St Peter’s CC are in their 106th year of turning out to represent their Wigan Road home, but it’s hard to see them being around for their 107th year if they can only muster together 9 players for their first team on a Saturday trip to Clifton. 

It soon became clear why they had lost every game played this season, as they were 27/5 inside 12 overs without the bowlers really having to find a magic delivery to remove them. 

At one point they were 30/5 at the exact same time the Clifton 1s had Prestwich on the same score.

Standout figures of 4-11 from 5 overs for Lewis Keogh, then 2-12 from 7 overs for Tom Worthington made them the pick of the afternoon bowlers, but a notable mention has to go to Ollie Dunn for one of the grabs of the season; one handed - left handed - above his head at cover. Sadly not available on the cameras as they were pointing towards Swinton from that end.

Needing 58 to win, it was Ethan Kite that took on the attack from the get go - but I’m not sure calling those opening bowlers an “attack” is fully justified. Plenty of bad balls were put away, including Ethan’s first senior 6 that he hit straight down the ground into the car park in the second over. 

It was all wrapped up inside 7 overs, as Sam Winstanley hit 10 off the last 3 balls of the match to wrap it up and allow the 2s to head over to Prestwich en masse for the rest of the afternoon. 

Ethan Kite (29) and Sam Winstanley (25) knocking it off with the minimum of fuss. Competitive cricket this was not.

The win leaves Clifton in second place, just one point behind leaders, Horwich. It’s mid table Stretford up next, and I think the 2s might need a new captain after McManus’ performance at Prestwich….

🔨 Rear Lounge Refurbishment COMPLETE !!

We are pleased to let members know that refurbishment of our rear lounge is complete, an exciting step forward in improving our club facilities for everyone.

The improvements include:
• A new feature wall
• A new trophy cabinet to properly showcase our history and achievements
• New seating to create a more comfortable, welcoming space

This is part of an ongoing project to continually enhance our club for members, players, families and visitors. As a volunteer-led club with strong community roots, every improvement is about creating a space we can all be proud of.

If you’re not yet part of our club, new members are always welcome. Please come and be part of something progressive, inclusive and growing.