The 1st XI 2026 season got underway at Roe Greenon Saturday, and if this opening fixture is anything to go by, it promises tobe a campaign full of drama, quality, and just the occasional talking point.
Clifton travelled with a strong-looking side, boosted by thereturn of Gareth Cross, who wasted no time reminding everyone of his all-roundvalue. With the ball, Cross was outstanding, finishing with 5-53 from his 15overs and consistently asking questions of the Roe Green batting line-up.Supported well by Oliver Sleight (1-33) and Ben Hamilton (3-35), Clifton keptthings tight for large parts of the innings.
Roe Green’s innings never truly broke free and Clifton hadworked themselves into a strong position, reducing the hosts to 114-8 andappearing firmly in control.
It was at this point, though, that the game began to shift. TobyLester added a late flourish with an aggressive 38 from just 33 balls, combinedwith a few costly overs towards the back end, allowed Roe Green to push on to156 all out. A total that felt slightly above par given the position they hadfound themselves in earlier in the innings.
Unfortunately, Clifton’s reply got off to the worst possiblestart. Two wickets fell without a run on the board, and a few raised eyebrows withthe LBW decisions adding to the usual early-season debate and when the scoreslipped to 9-4, the visitors were left with a mountain to climb.
Once again, Gareth Cross led from the front, producing afighting 34, while Joe McCann offered solid support with a well-crafted 25. Thepair helped steady the innings and gave Clifton a foothold in the game, butjust as momentum began to build, Roe Green struck back.
Andy Hough proved particularly effective for the hosts,claiming 3-21, while Luke Williams (3-28) and Toby Lester (2-17) ensured thatClifton were never able to fully recover from their early setbacks.
In the end, Clifton were bowled out for 107, falling shortby 49 runs.
While the result didn’t go Clifton’s way, there were plentyof positives to take from the performance. The return of Cross, contributionsfrom McCann, and long spells of controlled bowling all point to a side shapingup well for the season ahead.
With a few lessons learned, particularly around capitalisingon key moments and tightening things up at the death, Clifton will look tobounce back quickly as the 2026 season quickly gathers pace.