Welcome

With the hangover from Zach's 21st celebrations the night before slowly wearing off, the youthful 2s made their way to Roe Green for a challenging cup tie against a side 2 divisions higher. A real test of where this side are at lay in front of them.

After finally winning a toss for the first time this season - Clifton opted to bat - and sent out youngster Luke Jones (14yrs old) to accompany Ethan Kite (16yr old) to face the music of their opening quicks.

A solid start came to an end in the 7th over when Luke (9) snicked off after doing the hard work with Ethan to get 25 on the board for the first wicket stand. Dan (5) then came to the crease and really struggled to show his usual fluency, when not really timing anything and finding fielder after fielder, before chipping one back to the overseas spinner to leave the visitors 36/2. McManus (15) made his way out in an unusual no.4 spot but was cleaned up before he could really get going. Lewis Keogh (6) also fell early to a caught behind, before Sam (0) missed a straight one first ball to leave Clifton 84/5.

An outstanding partnership of 73 from Ethan and Dunny then put Clifton back into the contest, as they took on the Roe Green attack at every opportunity. Ethan's fist pump on reaching 50 let you know what it meant to him. Ethan's (66) superb innings finally came to an end when slicing one up to be caught at short third.

157/6 then became 158/8 as Oscar Thorpe (1) and Elliot Hogben (0) were both cleaned up in back-to-back balls from the returning opening bowler, Jacob Prill, leaving young Charlie Seddon to face the hat-trick ball. A solid forward defence took care of that one. Ollie Dunn's (40) great knock finally came to an end, but a late flurry of hitting from Charlie (7) and Tom Worthington (14*) put 181 on the board and gave the bowlers something to defend.

It took a flick to square leg from a full toss to pick up the first wicket, and that pretty much summed up the second innings, as it was the batsman giving away their wickets rather than the bowlers earning them. Tom (0-16 from 7) bowled with control up front, but the bowlers just weren't on it as a whole, with too many bad balls that gifted runs. It wasn't the Clifton bowling attack we've been used to with the second team this season. 24 wides tell its own story.

It was an encouraging performance to post 180 with the bat when the side had some key players missing, with the usual run scorers having off days, against a strong bowling attack. But this side will have to bowl much better than that to have a chance of competing at a higher level in the coming years.

Clifton's Derek Kay Cup campaign came to an abrupt end on Sunday as Premier 2 side Westhoughton CC produced an impressive all-round display to secure an eight-wicket victory at Manchester Road.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Clifton never really found the momentum or intensity required against a well-drilled Westhoughton side and the performance lacked the focus, grit and determination that has become a hallmark of this Clifton side in recent seasons.

There were promising starts throughout the innings, but nobody was able to convert. Zach Flaxman got Clifton moving with a quick 12 from just nine deliveries before Caleb Donaldson (32) and Ben Hamilton (32) rebuilt steadily, taking the score to 69 before Donaldson became the first of three victims for Nathan Blair. Hamilton continued to look comfortable before falling for 32, while Jordy Higham's enterprising 21 briefly threatened to inject some urgency into the innings. However, wickets fell at regular intervals and Clifton were unable to establish any meaningful partnerships during the second half of the innings.

The visitors' bowlers maintained excellent control throughout. Blair's three wickets provided the initial breakthroughs before Saeed Ali ripped through the lower order with outstanding figures of 5-13 from 5.4 overs. Ross Sutton also played a key role, conceding just 18 runs from his nine overs. Clifton were eventually dismissed for 159 in 41.4 overs - a total that always looked below par on a good batting surface.

If the home side hoped to apply pressure with the ball, those hopes were quickly extinguished by an aggressive Westhoughton top order. Jamie Bates launched a ferocious assault, smashing 55 from just 29 deliveries with seven fours and four sixes before becoming one of only two wickets to fall.

Any chance of a Clifton comeback disappeared as overseas professional Saeed Ali took centre stage. Having already dismantled the Clifton batting line-up, Ali then produced a masterclass with the bat, striking an unbeaten 62 from just 38 balls. His innings was full of clean hitting and intelligent stroke play, ensuring the chase never lost momentum. Ali was well supported by Akbar Ur Rehman, who finished unbeaten on 34, as Westhoughton raced to 163-2 in just 17.2 overs.

For Clifton, Ben Hamilton and Finlay Testa claimed a wicket apiece, but the bowling attack struggled to find consistency against a confident and aggressive batting display.

Credit must go to the visitors, who thoroughly deserved their victory. Their professional Saeed Ali delivered a match-winning performance with both bat and ball, while the entire side played with energy and purpose throughout.

Clifton will now look to put this disappointing cup exit behind them and refocus on the challenges ahead in Premier Division.

On Thursday evening, the Clifton hordes travelled to Stand CC to see a masterclass in six hitting from Ali Hassan, grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat for the 1s. A couple of days later, it was the turn of Clifton to welcome Stand's 2nd XI under blue skies yet again, as this early summer heatwave continued.

After Macca lost the toss for the 748th time in succession, the Stand skipper opted to have a bat, a decision that didn't look too clever when they found themselves 2/2 after just 13 balls, with Sas (2-22 from 7) and Tom (1-14 from 7) picking up one each from really poor shots straight to fielders. Stand began to rebuild, and it took until the 14th over - and the last from Sas' spell - for the 3rd wicket to fall when the No.4 heard the death rattle behind him.

39/3 quickly became 41/4 with the introduction of Oscar Thorpe (2-15 from 5) down the hill, thanks to an outstanding one-handed catch from Sas low to the ground. In his next over, Oscar clattered the stumps, and it was looking ominous when Dunny (1-19 from 6) then picked up his first scalp in the next over to leave the visitors 56/6.

Tight spells from Dan (0-15 from 6) and Ethan Kite (1-15 from 6) contained the visitors, but it was the introduction of Owen Hogben (3-14 from 5) that wrapped up the first innings to leave Clifton with a target of 122, which was never going to be enough with the depth of the home batting line up.

Macca and Ethan stepped out with confidence and got the chase off to a flyer, with every bad ball - and there were plenty - being sent to the boundary or over it. The 6th over being smashed for 20 pretty much killed the game as a contest, as Macca went 4, 6, 4, 6 in succession in an exhibition of clean ball striking. A passing comment from a few visiting supporters of "these are miles too good for us" summed it up nicely.

The runs continued to flow, with Clifton 97 without loss before McManus (55) flicked one to square leg to end a brutal innings. 7 balls later, Ethan (35) followed him back to the shed after a fine knock. With only 22 required to win with about 80 overs left to do it, the hosts managed to lose a couple more wickets in Owen (7) and Lewis (4) before the chase was wrapped up by Dan (8*) and Sam (0*).

A comfortable win for the 2s and gets them back on track after a disappointing defeat at Heywood last weekend.

🔨 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.