Talbot Shield semi-finals.
Cheadle 2nd XI vs Wedgwood 1st XI.
Cheadle won the toss and elected to field first. Marvin Kitamirike and Aaron Tymczuk added 45 before Tymczuk was caught by Jack Winfield off the bowling of Jack Degg for 28. He scored five boundaries and got his team off to a good start. Wedgwood reached 81/1 at the halfway stage of their innings with Kitamirike unbeaten on 21 off 54 balls as he was trying to anchor the innings for the visitors. Ben Dixon had made his way to 22* from 25 balls with two 4s and a six as Wedgwood were setting themselves a good platform to expand from as the innings went on.
Kitamirike was bowled by Louie Welford for 29 shortly after the drinks break to leave the visitors 90/2. He struck three 4s and a six in his patient knock. Dixon made his way to 34 before Jack Winfield had him caught by Harry Bonehill. This left Wedgwood 109/3. Cheadle then fought back with two quick wickets as Haroon Khan was caught and bowled by Winfield before Welford bowled Archie Moore to leave the visitors 114/5.
Ramzan Mohammed and Ade Lello added 34 before Mohammed was LBW to Sam Akram for 18. Scott Harvey caught Fehsal Hussain on the next ball as Wedgwood again lost 2 quick wickets to stop their momentum. Lello (24) and Kian Pentecost (24) added 46 in 8.3 overs as Wedgwood closed on 194/7 from their 40 overs. Akram finished with 2/46, and he was well supported by Winfield (2/47) and Welford (2/20) as Cheadle pulled it back well in the second half of the innings.
Cheadle carefully made their way to 33/0 after 10 overs as Lello and Tymczuk were accurate early on. Craig Smith and Scott Harvey were happy to be patient. The home side’s fifty came up in the 15th over as Wedgwood strived to make the breakthrough. Smith had moved to 33* with 3 boundaries as he went about his work. Dixon finally made the breakthrough when he trapped Harvey LBW for 23 with the score on 65. They reached 77/1 at the halfway stage of their innings before Kitamirike bowled Noah Shaw for 7 as Cheadle lost their 2nd wicket with 78 on the board.
Smith reached his fifty from 77 balls with four 4s as Cheadle continued to work towards their target. He had added 49 with Jack Degg for the 3rd wicket before his good innings was ended when he was bowled by Sebastian Hopwood for 57. Degg was beginning to look dangerous and had made his way to 36* from just 28 balls as Cheadle needed 62 from the final 12 overs with 7 wickets in hand.
Degg raced to his fifty from just 34 deliveries with five 4s and two 6s as he continued to play aggressively. 14 runs came off an over by Dixon as Cheadle only required 27 from 8 overs. He was finally dismissed by Dixon for 73 from just 44 balls when he was caught by Tymczuk with only 15 needed. His innings had been nothing short of brutal; it contained six 4s and four 6s as he smashed the Wedgwood change bowlers to pieces and put his side in a commanding position.
Matthew Degg struck the winning six with 27 balls remaining as the home side secured a comfortable 6-wicket victory and booked their place in the final. Harry Bonehill finished unbeaten on 21 as he shared a crucial stand of 53 in just 33 balls with Jack Degg, which ultimately decided this game. Cheadle paced their chase perfectly, and it was set up by Smith and Harvey at the top, who took their time early on. Dixon finished with 2/61, but Wedgwood will rue not pushing on from 81/1 at the halfway point in their innings. Ramzan Mohammed had to leave the field due to an injury after bowling only 2.4 overs, which is another factor, but ultimately, Cheadle thoroughly deserved their victory.
Endon 2nd XI vs Porthill 2nd XI.
Porthill won the toss and elected to bat first. They lost Connor Uren early when he nicked Dan Shelley through to keeper Tom Colclough with only 9 on the board. Shelley then struck again when Joe Bridgewater was caught by Kevin Cockerton, leaving the visitors 21/2 in the 8th over. O’Shay Reddy was caught and bowled two overs later to give Shelley his 3rd wicket of the afternoon and leave Porthill with a big rebuilding job on the cards.
Jake Plummer and Adeel Mahmood steadied the ship when they added 46 before Kyle Brassington bowled Plummer for 31 to leave Porthill 69/4. Plummer struck five boundaries in his useful innings. Porthill reached 73/4 at the halfway stage as they continued to build after their poor start. Steve Smith removed Mahmood for 22 after he had added 35 with George Cairns for the 5th wicket. It had been a good partnership, but Porthill were still in trouble at 104/5.
Cairns had reached 37 when he was bowled by Robbie Jones. His knock had included two 4s and three 6s. Harry Stubbs became Smith’s 2nd victim, 7 runs later, when he bowled him for 5 to leave the visitors 139/7 with 6.3 overs remaining. Robbie Jones got Tom Mason for 22 with the first ball of the 37th over when he was caught by Cockerton to leave Porthill 8 down for 149. Adeel Khalid then struck a 16-ball 28* as he added an unbroken 37 with Lucas Turner (11*) from just 23 balls as Porthill closed on 186/8 from their 40 overs. Shelley was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with 3/23. Smith (2/47) and Robbie Jones (2/21) lent good support.
Ben Green struck early when he had Smith caught behind by Uren in the 1st over. Mason bowled Ashley Porter in the 4th over to leave Endon 10/2. Green and Uren teamed up again to dismiss Alex Gilson as Endon slid to 11/3. George Sellers and Cockerton then negotiated the tricky period as they moved the score to 59/3 after 15 overs. Endon reached the halfway stage of their innings well placed on 80/3 with Sellers unbeaten on 40 and with seven boundaries to his name.
Porthill’s extra count was beginning to mount up; they had conceded 29 after only 23 overs, which wasn’t helping their cause. 24 of the 29 were wides, and this could prove costly as the game continues. O’Shay Reddy broke the 91-run partnership when he bowled Cockerton for a patient 17 from 46 balls. Cockerton had been playing the supporting role in the partnership and had helped Sellers dig them out of the early hole they found themselves in after their poor start. Sellers went to his fifty from 84 balls with eight 4s as Endon required 73 from the final 12 overs with 6 wickets in hand.
Reddy claimed his 2nd wicket when Daniel Bailey was caught by Lucas Turner before Harry Stubbs ended Sellers’ fine innings when he bowled him for 54 as Endon tumbled to 121/6. Stubbs took his second wicket in the over when Shelley was caught by Mason off the final ball of the 31st over. Endon had now lost 3 wickets for 10 runs in just 11 balls, and the game had swung in Porthill’s favour after the long partnership between Sellers and Cockerton.
Stubbs ran out Robbie Jones before he bowled Brassington to leave Endon on the brink at 137/9. Reddy took the final wicket when he trapped Ronnie Jones LBW to seal a 43-run victory for the visitors as they booked their place in the final. Reddy finished with 3/19 and Stubbs 3/34 as they ran through the Endon middle and lower order to instigate a collapse from 102/3 in the 25th over. Green was impressive up front and claimed 2/33 as he gave Porthill a fantastic start by reducing Endon to 11/3 early on. Endon will rue not being able to push on from a position of strength at the halfway point of their innings, but all in all, Porthill deserved their place in the final.
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Brilliant 👏 mate Malc