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After starting the season with two wins from two, the 2s took to the field on Saturday to try and make it a perfect three from three. That’s a lot of 2, to and twos!

Woodbank arrived at Manchester Road and opted to have a bat, following a successful flip of the coin that landed on yet another superb Drew Hogben prepared deck. Young Oscar struggled to find his rhythm in the early exchanges, and Woodbank were off to a flyer at 36/0 from the first 5.

Lewis Keogh replaced Oscar up the hill, shortly after Tom had cleaned up their opener at the other end. Lewis also struggled to find his line, with too many wides to build pressure and the visitors scoreboard kept ticking over. Tom took another two scalps in his next two overs to leave Woodbank on 54/3 after 10 and bringing Clifton back into the game. Tom finishing with 3-34 from his 11 overs.

Keogh shortly made it 68/4 uprooting the middle stump, before Dan Jones and Elliot Hogben came on to turn the screw. Dan took a wicket in his first over and finished with economical figures of 1-11 from his 7 over spell. A 70 run partnership was broken by a caught and bowled from Owen, who then wrapped up the tail to finish with impressive figures of 4-14 from his 6 overs at the death.

The story of the bowling however was the 48 extras given away (31 of them wides), which gives the Clifton batsmen a fair bit of catching up to do before a ball is hit in anger.

The chase didn’t get off to the best of starts when stand-in opener Sam Winstanley was bowled for 4, but a partnership of 93 then followed between youngsters Ethan Kite (36) and Dan Jones (77) to put Clifton in the driving seat. The game was then sealed with what is becoming a regular middle order contribution from Owen (19*) and Lewis (20), but Oscar Thorpe finished it off with 12 from 8, but not before smashing one back down the ground that ended as a nasty one into the bowlers (Olivia Kay) face. Thankfully she was up and ok after not too long and was looked after by the Clifton Nightingales in Megan and Karen. Gladly she was still able to laugh off that it was technically a drop.

So another 6 points for the 2s which leaves them top of the table; an impressive start given the number of regulars missing (5 in total) from Saturday’s line-up. Much tighter lines will be required from the bowlers however if this unbeaten start is to continue. The batting depth will be tested properly at some point otherwise.

The seconds' idea of excitement was a different concept to the firsts as they cruised to a second round tie with the good citizens of Ambridge.

After a steady start in which the openers accumulated 33 in ten overs, a nagging bowling attack ground down the Milnrow batting order, taking wickets at increasingly regular intervals and reducing the side from Division 5 East, that had lost its first game a day earlier, to 108 all out.

Sam Winstanley took the main chunk of the plaudits with his spell up th'ill earning him 5-34, but all the bowlers performed well including Lewis Keogh who remained wicketless despite bowling his seven overs for just 11 runs. Despite being far from perfect in the field, this was a statement performance from the team which had been deprived of three key players prior to the game starting. 

The reply started in steady fashion with Big Mac and Ethan Kite going shot for shot in the early stages. Ethan's ability to drive the ball straight to fielders persists however and it was noticeable, as the skipper pulled away, how his shots were going between fielders, rather than warming their hands. Two boundaries in successive balls brought up the fifty in the 10th over and seventy was achieved in the 15th with a four and a six as the skipper approached a half century. It was then that he unleashed a veritable Macflurry of seven boundaries in 10 balls that yielded 32 runs to finish the game and bring his individual score to an impressive 80no with Ethan left gazing in wonder, stuck on 19no at the other end.

So, a ten wicket win inside 18 overs complimented the first's victory and saw both sides into round two for the second successive season.

A proper cup tie in every sense. Tight, tense, and dominated by the ball. In a game where runs were hard-earned throughout, it was Clifton who held their nerve to edge home by two wickets, with a match-winning innings from Caleb Donaldson proving the difference.

Monton’s innings never quite found fluency against a disciplined Clifton attack. Early pressure told immediately, with Oliver Sleight striking twice to reduce the hosts to 14–2. From there, wickets fell at regular intervals as Clifton kept things tight and asked constant questions.

Jordan Stephens provided the only real resistance at the top of the order with a composed 24, while Jake Sandham (15) and Joshua Lenihan (18) attempted to rebuild through the middle. However, partnerships were repeatedly broken just as they began to develop.

Clifton’s bowling unit shared the workload effectively. Ali Hassan was the standout, claiming 3 for 17 and consistently threatening through the middle overs, well supported by Ben Hamilton and Praharsh Parikh, who both picked up two wickets apiece. Tight spells and disciplined lines restricted Monton to 110 all out in 37.4 overs.

The chase, however, proved anything but straightforward.

Clifton stumbled early under a similarly probing Monton attack. Will McAvoy (3 for 38) and Jamie Cotton (2 for 18) led the charge as wickets tumbled, leaving Clifton in trouble at 20–4. Batting was clearly not easy, and every run had to be worked for.

Amid the chaos, Caleb Donaldson produced an innings of real control and maturity. His unbeaten 29 from 92 balls will not grab headlines for its strike rate, but in the context of the game, it was invaluable. Showing patience, discipline, and a clear understanding of the situation, he anchored the innings while others came and went.

Jordy Higham’s 22 provided important support during a key phase, and a late contribution from Oliver Sleight (16) nudged Clifton closer. Even then, the game remained in the balance as Monton continued to chip away with wickets.

Ultimately, Donaldson guided Clifton home, finishing unbeaten alongside Owen Hogben as the visitors reached 112–8 in 40.2 overs.

🔨 Rear Lounge Refurbishment Begins This Week

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

Planned 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.

We look forward to sharing progress updates as the work develops.

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.