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.