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Match Report Sun 17 August: 3rd XI vs Greenfield CC 3rd XI (Away)
It was left to the 3rds to provide the thrill seekers with their weekend nail biting fix as the Clifton groupies once more headed for the hills of God's own county for another tussle with Greenfield.
The local barmaid's apron sniffers were out in force and their comments became increasingly nauseous as the game reached its thrilling conclusion in the oppressive afternoon heat whilst birthday boy Stevie Mac's children closed in on their target.
The hosts took first turn with the bat and Tom Worthington and Oscar Thorpe both made a mess of the timbers early doors (pic 1) as three wickets went down for 23, but as we've seen several times this season, Greenfield's middle order is not to be sniffed at and a partnership of 83 scored at in excess of six an over, put the home team in the driving seat. Lewis Keogh and Dan Jones stepped in to stem the flow and then Owen Hogben, after an opening over consisting of five long hops which earned the accolade as, in all my years, the worst maiden over I have ever seen, got into his stride and demolished the tail finishing with a remarkable 5-11.
The total of 156 looked about par on a wicket of uneven bounce, evened out by a lightning fast outfield, and so it proved as, shorn of Ethan Kite who was on Under 17 international duty getting mauled by the Liverpool Comp, Steve Mac and 13 year old Luke, who along with 13 year old Oscar, had only made their debuts in June, opened the innings.
The birthday boy had earlier had one of those days behind the stumps which could kindly be described as a tad ungainly, and sadly his birthday woes continued as he and Luke were both back in the hutch with 16 on the board. Dan and Lewis then supported Sam Winstanley, who was having one of those days when everything seemed to hit the middle of the bat, in two partnerships that took the score beyond 100 with overs to spare. Sam took his score beyond 50 with a six (pic 2) but then, just as he should have been digging in to bat with the tail, failed to see off the returning opening bowler leaving the side five down with 50 still required.
Cue the madness as byes, overthrows, run outs and umpires under pressure built the tension as the score nibbled its way to 144 when the ninth wicket went down. To add to the mayhem and the baying alcohol fuelled locals, there was a one run discrepancy between the play-cricket 1st innings (155) and the scoreboard (156). Unbeknownst to the masses, the matter had been resolved as being 156 at tea, but the crowd didn't know that, so when Tom Worthington launched a four and a six, the excitement reached fever pitch. Waqas then middled a delivery to deep midwicket and after scampering the first, the red mist took over and they went for an unlikely second which resulted in a third run out and the final excursion into the hills finishing as a tie. So three points each was the final tally after an incident packed afternoon in the Yorkshire sunshine.
Stevie's boys do though need to take a cursory look over the shoulder, as the relegation places are now way closer than top spot. A couple more wins and a cup final triumph would put the icing nicely on the cake.
Match Report Sat 16 August: 2nd XI vs Blackley CC 1st XI (Away)
On Saturday, Clifton travelled to Blackley CC knowing that a win would all but secure them the championship provided Stretford didn’t pick up a bonus point.
The toss was won by the home side, who elected to bat. The usual pair, Rob and Tom, opened the bowling, and it was Tom who got the early breakthrough, leaving the hosts 19-1. Rob then joined the action, picking up the second wicket of the day. Liam made two changes to the bowling attack, bringing himself and Dan Jones on.
Dan made an immediate impact, taking a wicket with his very first ball caught by Tom. Liam then ripped through the middle order, picking up three wickets in quick succession and leaving the hosts struggling at 76-6. Shortly after, a nice piece of fielding between Lewis and Dan resulted in the seventh wicket with just 77 runs on the board. Liam returned to take his fourth, before Lewis replaced Dan and picked up a wicket in his second over. With nine wickets down, there was just one more to get and Liam delivered, claiming his second consecutive five-wicket haul. Clifton were set a target of 118 to win and be crowned league champions.
The usual opening pair, Steve (16) and Ethan, began the chase but couldn’t quite get going, both falling to leave Clifton 19-2. Jordy and Dan came to the crease, looking to build another strong partnership as they’ve done many times this season. They did exactly that, taking the score to 86-2 before Dan was dismissed for 30.
There was another twist in the tale as Clifton edged closer to the title. Jordy (43) and Sam fell in quick succession, leaving Steve Judge and Owen Hogben (4*) at the crease with just 15 runs needed. With confirmation that Stretford hadn’t picked up a bonus point, the Clifton players knew a win would clinch the league title and that’s exactly what they achieved, with Steve Judge hitting the winning runs!
An excellent season, rounded off by another outstanding team performance, saw Clifton crowned champions. Liam’s men will now move up a division next year.
With four league games still to play, there’s no doubt Clifton will want to keep the winning run going. A brilliant season, credit to everyone involved. Hopefully, there’s more of the same to come next year.
Match Report Sat 16 August: 1st XI vs Horwich RMI CC (Home)
It was a tough day at the office for Clifton as Horwich claimed a comprehensive victory in their latest league clash at Manchester Road.
Batting first, Horwich set a strong platform despite losing Jacob Swindells early for just 5, caught by Parikh off Sleight. Baldwin (46)and Josh Little (78) steadied the innings with a solid partnership, Little in particular playing fluently with 11 fours and a six in his knock. Clifton’s bowlers found chances hard to come by, though Ben Hamilton impressed with 4–40from his 13 overs, supported by Mason Turner’s 2–72. Despite wickets falling steadily in the later overs, a quickfire 31 from Brett Pelser and an unbeaten28 from Sam Little pushed Horwich to a competitive 256–8 from their 50 overs.
In reply, Clifton’s innings started poorly with Flaxman dismissed without scoring. Stanley (17) and Van Dyk (53) fought back, the latter showing great composure to anchor the innings.
Professional Sam Dorsey (24) added support, but regular wickets kept Clifton under pressure. Hamilton (18) chipped in, but no one was able to go on with Van Dyk after his dismissal. The lower order struggled against Horwich’s disciplined attack, with Jack Berry (2–26) and Sam Little (2–37) particularly effective. Louis Johnson led the way with 3–51, ensuring Clifton were bowled out for 160 in the 45th over, 96 runs short of the target.
For Clifton, Van Dyk’s half-century and Hamilton’s four wickets were positives on a difficult day, but Horwich’s depth with bat and ball proved too strong. Clifton will look to regroup quickly ahead of their trip to table topping Prestwich.
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