Clifton arrived at The Kenyons to find the pitch still being prepared just 45 minutes before the scheduled start after someone had soaked the square on Friday night, creating a far from ideal buildup to the game.
After winning the toss, Clifton elected to bowl first, and the decision paid immediate dividends. Woodbank were reduced to 10-2 inside the opening three overs thanks to some disciplined new-ball bowling. However, the 2’s were unable to build on the excellent start. The next few overs saw too many short deliveries bowled towards a very small boundary which allowed the home side to score freely. Dropped catches and some sloppy fielding then further helped Woodbank recover from their early collapse.
The standout performer with the ball was Liam Dorsey, who bowled an uninterrupted 14-over spell, claiming 4 wickets at just over three an over and providing some much needed control. Woodbank continued to latch on to anything loose and posted a competitive total of 222.
In reply, Clifton made a positive start to the chase, with Ethan Kite (26), Lewis Keogh (37) and Chris Thorpe (45) all making valuable contributions to keep the innings on track.
Sam Winstanley continued his recent form with a superb 78, sharing a long and promising partnership with Thorpe that put Clifton in a commanding position. However, with just 20 runs required for victory, both set batters were dismissed in quick succession.
The incoming batsmen were forced to adapt to the pace of the game immediately but were unable to build the final partnership we needed, leaving Clifton agonisingly nine runs short at the close.
The defining factor of the day was undoubtedly the extras. Clifton conceded 56 in total, including an astonishing 38 wides, compared to not a single one for the hosts, and those free runs and additional deliveries ultimately proved the difference between the two sides in an otherwise closely contested match.