Welcome

The Clifton third team juggernaut rolled into the sleepy,picturesque village of Uppermill on Sunday and, for the second week insuccession, posted over 250 runs in 100+ margins of victory. It was the formerSaddleworth League club's second XI on the receiving end this time and onceagain it was a teenage centurion that did the damage.

Last week's ton-up terror Dan Jones had to take a back seatafter lobbing up a 'catch me' in the second over, leaving Owen Hogben to showhis pedigree, guiding him to a first senior 100 in partnerships of 66 withEthan Kite (32 off 43 balls) and then with Chris Thorpe who rolled back theyears with 70 in just 57 deliveries faced. Owen registered fifteen fours in his106 not out that was achieved in 121 balls.

After Sam Winstanley racked up a rapid 18, the Cliftonfaithful were treated to a glimpse of the future, as young Fred Breidenbach,who only achieved the ripe old age of 12 in November, strode to the wicket andlooked perfectly comfortable and every inch a senior cricketer as he scored12no in seven balls as the final daunting total of 274-4 beamed out from thescorebox. 

Centurions Owen and Dan shared another feat in amassing 215runs without including a single six in both innings. I once overheard futureEngland captain John Crawley's dad telling him that "cricket is a gameplayed along the ground" so the lads are in good company in that respect.

Fred wasn't done there, as he was later to contribute withthe ball, but chief tormentor Owen wasn't done either as he followed throughwith 3-19 with the ball and a sharp, juggled catch off the bowling of OllieDunn at slip. All five bowlers captured at least one scalp as Ollie and Oscargrabbed a couple, but the biggest cheer went to Fred as be took the first ofwhat will almost certainly be many career wickets, towards the end of thecontest.

It was a day that neither Owen nor Fred, for differentreasons, are likely to forget in a hurry as the 100% record remained intact andan eleven-point gap opened to second place, a gap which could become widerstill after 2nd placed Werneth visit Manchester Road next week.

Clifton 2nd XI made the trip to picturesque Bradshaw on thefinal day of the heatwave. The story of the Second XI campaign has often beenone of absences, with players regularly stepping up to help the First XI. Thisweekend was no different. With both the captain and vice-captain unavailable,while Owen and Jordy were away with the First XI v Royton, the question beforea ball had even been bowled was simple: who was going to step up?

After losing the toss, stand-in skipper Elliot led histroops into the field on the hottest day of the year so far.

Opening the bowling, Tom Worthington set the tone superbly.His opening spell of seven overs included four maidens and two deservedwickets, while at the other end Sasiraj Pushparajah matched him with someexcellent control and found a surprising amount of movement off the pitch. LewisKeogh then built on that platform brilliantly. Producing a fine display ofinswing bowling, he claimed a deserved three wickets and ensured Bradshaw nevermanaged to build any momentum. Further tidy spells from Dan Jones and SamWinstanley kept the pressure on, with Winstanley removing Bradshaw’s numbereight.

With Clifton short of their usual spin options, Elliotturned to his part-time leg spin on a dry surface offering some turn. A caughtand bowled with his very first delivery was followed by another wicket as hefinished with figures of 2 for 18 to wrap up the innings and get the lads intosome much-needed shade.

Oscar Thorpe and Ethan Kite made a composed start to thechase before Thorpe was unfortunate to be bowled by a delivery that did plentyoff the surface. Dan Jones then joined Ethan at the crease, with the pairputting together an excellent partnership to put Clifton firmly in control.Ethan continued his fine recent form with a well-made 35 before eventuallybeing dismissed.

From there, Jones took the game away from Bradshaw with asuperb 50 from just 36 deliveries. While the strike rate catches the eye, theinnings was built on composure and quality rather than brute force, as hemanipulated the field, found the gaps with ease and made the chase lookstraightforward. It was an innings the younger Clifton players watching fromthe Bradshaw balcony could learn plenty from. Jones eventually fell after usinghis feet to the spinner and being stumped, but by then the result was all butsecured. A short stay at the crease from Sam Winstanley edged Clifton closerbefore Lewis Keogh needed just one ball to finish the job, crashing it to theboundary.

Overall, it was another excellent afternoon for an extremelyyoung Clifton side featuring no fewer than four Under 15 players. The oldsaying that “you’ll never win anything with kids” certainly doesn’t seem toapply at Clifton CC.

Results elsewhere also went Clifton’s way, with theKingfishers climbing to the summit of the table just in time for back-to-backfixtures against the teams currently sitting second and third. Two huge gameslie ahead.

Clifton’s impressive run of three consecutive victories cameto an end on Saturday as they came up against a strong Royton side on whatproved to be a very batter-friendly surface under glorious sunshine.

In conditions where winning the toss carried hugesignificance, Royton made full use of their advantage by electing to bat firston a flat deck, laying the platform for what was always likely to be achallenging chase.

To Clifton’s credit, there were plenty of positives in thefield. The visitors were made to work hard for every partnership, with Cliftoncontinuing to compete and show discipline throughout the innings. Gareth Crosswas once again outstanding, producing a miserly spell of 2-50 from 13 overs,maintaining control and asking constant questions of the Royton batters. BenHamilton also made a strong impact, claiming 3-66, including a key middle-orderburst that helped slow Royton’s momentum just as they threatened to accelerate.

Chasing 262 was always going to require a strong start, andunfortunately Clifton never quite managed to build the partnerships that haveunderpinned their recent success. There were glimpses of resistance,particularly from Parikh, who battled hard for 33, and Stanley, who showedadmirable character to remain unbeaten on 22, continuing to fight despitewickets falling around him.

Royton’s attack found rhythm with the new ball andmaintained relentless pressure. Perera (5-25) and Iqbal (4-44) bowled withaccuracy and made scoring difficult, capitalising on scoreboard pressurethroughout the innings.

While the final margin looks heavy, this result should notovershadow the excellent progress Clifton have made in recent weeks. Onedifficult afternoon does not define a side, particularly one that has shown theresilience, togetherness and quality this group has displayed during its recentwinning run.

With the season now approaching the halfway point, Cliftonremain in a strong position and can take confidence from the cricket they haveplayed over the last month.

🔨 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.