A trip to Little Pools on a brisk but sunny afternoon beckoned for E dot Hogben and his merry men from Clifton; taking on an inexperienced looking Heaton side.
The home side chose to bat and struggled early doors to do anything other than play and miss or leave the ball outside off, as Ethan Kite was too quick for them at times, while Dunny’s swing from the other end had them in knots.
It took until the 13th over and the introduction of Lewis Keogh to make the breakthrough with an edge carrying through to the new 3rd team keeper in the Captain’s younger brother. Keogh kept probing and by the 22nd over he had his 3rd wicket to have Heaton at 82/3, before Luke Jones came on to somehow rob the next three wickets in what was far from his finest spell of bowling.
The Heaton tail was made up of youngsters who understandably struggled to get the ball away, and eventually finished on 125/9 from their 40 overs.
It was a target that should always have been comfortable for this Clifton batting order, topped by Luke and Oli Dunn. Luke (14) was the first to fall when throwing the hands at a wide one to be caught at point. Dan Jones then joined Dunny in the middle where a 42 run partnership put Clifton in full control of the contest, before Dunn (21) had to go and take his pads off.
That presented a rare opportunity at No.4 for youngster Charlie Seddon, who took full advantage with an unbeaten knock of 29, highlighting once again the depth of talent within the Clifton juniors. A composed 55 not out from the experienced youngster in Dan Jones supported Charlie throughout, as the pair of them put on a partnership of 72 to win the game that the Heaton bowling attack had no answers to. The 100% winning run continued.