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Match Reports for 2008 Season
Match Reports for Week Ending 22/06/2008
EECB Cheshire Premier League
Alderley Edge 117
Bowdon 90-4
Drawn
Rain decimated the league programme last Saturday in the ECB Cheshire Premier League but every cloud has a silver lining, as it appeared to save Alderley Edge from almost certain defeat against second place Bowdon.
Alderley lost a crucial toss at Bowdon and had to bat first on a somewhat notorious pitch after rain had delayed the start to 2.45pm and reduced the match to an 84 over game. When Edge batted they were almost immediately in trouble and struggled to score runs on a pitch that offered uneven bounce and significant lateral movement to Bowdon’s pace attack. Only opener Mark Currie looked anything like at home as he made light of the conditions as he raced to a half century completed off only 47 balls. Once Currie had departed having scored a vital 54, Edge stood at 87 for 3 off 18 overs. There then followed a remarkable batting collapse that saw put on only another 30 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, leaving them 117 all out off just 33 overs, and facing a costly defeat to their nearest rivals.
Only David Leeming with 23 and Sohail Rauf with 21 got into double figures of the remaining Edge batsmen. For Bowdon, Richard Wilkinson took 5 for 57, but it was Dorset's 6 foot 8 inch quick bowler Rupert Kitzinger, who had the most remarkable figures of the day, with 7.5 overs, 5 maidens, 5 for 5.
When Bowdon batted they too did not find it easy and Edge’s Cheshire paceman Jason Whittaker had them in trouble at 63 for 4 after 24 overs, but with another 27 overs still available. Bowdon then pushed on and had reached a match-winning situation of 90 for 4, when there was significant downpour just before 7.30pm. The players left the field, never to return, with both sides awarded 7 points for an abandoned game.
This result left Edge still 16 points clear at the top of the premier league table. With the half-way point of the season reached next week, Alderley need to capitalize on the good fortune that has come their way in a few of the matches and try to take advantage of their strong current position, starting next week when they are away yet again, this time at Urmston.
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