JS Sports T/20 Plate Finals Day at Crewe CC.
Stafford 1st XI, Blythe 1st XI, Newcastle & Hartshill 2nd XI, and Crewe 1st XI will contest today’s finals day.
Stafford secured their place with comfortable victories against Endon and Little Stoke in the last round. They sit in 4th place in Division 1 and are having a decent season. Blythe squeaked through a tight group that contained Silverdale and Moddershall 2’s on run-rate in the last round. They sit at the bottom of Division 2 but could be the surprise package of the day.
Newcastle & Hartshill 2’s dominated their group with two crushing victories over Betley and Checkley 2’s, advancing in fine style. They sit 10th in Division 2 and will look at today as a great chance to secure some silverware. Crewe secured a comfortable victory against Elworth 2’s before a narrow victory against Sandyford secured their passage to finals day. They sit 10th in Division 1 and are battling for their survival. Today promises to be an excellent day of cricket with the weather set fair.
Semi-final 1. Stafford 1st XI vs Blythe 1st XI.
Stafford won by 6 wickets.
Blythe won the toss and elected to bat in cool but pleasant conditions. Umair Mushtaq pulled a short ball from Joe Evans to the mid-wicket to open his account in the opening over. A clip through the same area brought him another boundary in the 3rd over before he was well caught by Ashley Lunn from the next ball when he attempted the shot once more. Josh Jackson drove sweetly through extra cover before 4 leg byes rounded out the over.
Jackson was well caught by Himasha Liyange running around the long-on boundary. He made 20 yards to his left when Jackson skied Rishi Harish as he attempted to make the most of the power play. Stafford restricted the Blythe batters well, and they finished the 6-over powerplay on 28/2. Two tight overs followed before Matt Rogerson picked up back-to-back boundaries in the 9th over. He first played a sweep shot to a full ball before he pulled powerfully through square leg to move the score to 44/2 at the end of the over.
Rob James to a fine return catch to remove Rogerson for 18 in the 11th over. Rogerson struck it firmly, but James was quick to react, and he took a smart catch. Liyange took a spectacular one-handed diving catch in the next over to get rid of Grimley off his own bowling to leave Blythe struggling on 50/4. The Stafford slow bowlers were really taking a firm grip on the game. Boundaries were hard to come by against the disciplined Stafford attack.
James Degg found the extra cover boundary when he advanced down the pitch and lifted the ball over the infield. Liyange got his revenge with the next ball when he snuck one through his defences. Hamza Younas was well caught by Lunn at mid-wicket from the next ball when he attempted a big shot into the legside. The ball went high into the air, and Lunn took a smart catch under the high ball.
Stafford continued to their stranglehold on the Blythe batters as they crept to 70/6 with only 3 overs remaining. Almas Shirzad was bowled by Kshitiz Mahajan in the 19th over as Blythe fell to 73/7. Matthew Turner trapped Isaac Gregory LBW in the final over when he attempted a sweep as Blythe closed on 78/8 from their 20 overs. It had been a fine bowling performance from Stafford. Liyange was the pick of the bowlers, and he finished with 3/15 as Stafford now have a small chase to book their place in the final.
Mahajan was well caught by Shirzad at cover when he attempted a big shot off Mushtaq in the opening. Seth Jones attempted a big drive later in the over, the ball caught an outside and flew away to the point boundary. Liyange was dropped by Rogerson off the bowling of Scott Degg in the 2nd over when he went for a big shot into the legside. Liyange struck two boundaries off Mushtaq in the 3rd over. He backed away and lifted him over extra cover for the first one before he lofted him down the ground to close out the over.
Degg trapped Jones LBW in the 4th over as Stafford fell to 18/2. Liyange played a fine lofted drive over cover that went all the way for 6 before being well caught by Jackson at mid-off to leave Stafford 29/3 in the 6th over. Harish was then superbly caught by Grimley in the gully off Mushtaq as Stafford lost their 4th wicket with only 30 on the board.
Jainesh Patel lifted Degg high over long on for a maximum in the 8th over to move the score to 38/4. James took two boundaries off Rogerson in the next over. He pulled a long hop through mid-wicket before nudging past short fine leg when Rogerson drifted onto his pads. Stafford continued to accumulate before James found the boundary again off Rogerson in the 11th over to move the score to 66/4. Patel cut Jackson powerfully to the cover boundary in the next over as the score moved to 70/4. Stafford eased their way to their target in the 14th over when Jackson bowled 5 wides. Patel finished unbeaten on 21, and James made 19* as they added an unbroken 53 to take their side to a comfortable 6-wicket victory. Blythe tried hard and did manage to snare a few early wickets, but they didn’t manage to get enough runs on the board in the 1st innings, and it will be Stafford who move on to contest the final.
Semi-final 2. Crewe 1st XI vs Newcastle & Hartshill 2nd XI.
Crewe won by 5 runs.
Crewe won the toss and elected to bat in warm but breezy conditions. Ryan Briddon lifted off-spinner Jacob Maddock over mid-on for the opening boundary in the 1st over. He followed it up with an enormous blow over mid-wicket that went all the way for 6 before Wilson got his revenge when he bowled him next ball. Rory Kalnins struck the final ball through the leg side and away to the boundary as the score raced to 15/1 at the end of the over.
Bharath Sriramula played a reverse lap off left-arm seamer Isaac McKeown that beat short third man and raced away to the boundary in the next over. Sriramula was dropped on the mid-wicket boundary when he attempted a big shot in the next over off the bowling of Jacob Maddock. The ball hung high in the air and swirled in the wind, and the fielder couldn’t hold onto the chance. He then struck powerfully down the ground before smearing another boundary through the legside as the scoreboard continued to rattle along. He skied the final ball of the over high into the air, and keeper Thenuka Angoda took a simple catch to leave the home side 37/2 after 3 overs.
Sam Youds drove Zak Twist through the covers for his first boundary in the 5th over. Crewe reached 53/3 at the end of the power play. They’d had a good start, but Castle had managed to snare three early wickets. Jack Wilson bowled Tate Rutter in the 8th over before Calum Meakin was run out in farcical fashion to end the over. He tried to run a quick single when the keeper threw the ball back to the bowler Wilson. His partner, Youds, wasn’t paying attention, and he was unable to get back into his ground before he was run out after the Castle fielders reacted quickly.
Faisal Mahmood cut Wilson away behind point for a boundary in the 10th over to move the score to 70/5. He advanced down the wicket and smashed Wilson straight down the ground for another boundary in the 12th over. Wilson then trapped him LBW with the next ball as Crewe fell to 78/6. Youds cut powerfully past point for another boundary to end the over. Mark Hurst struck Wilson for a mighty six over long on to begin the 14th over. A single from the final ball brought up the home side’s 100.
Maddock returned to bowl Youds for 27 with a big spinning off break when he attempted a cut in the 15th over to leave Crewe 106/7. Hurst was well caught by Ethan Gater off the bowling of Richard Parkes before Maddock bowled Callum Bacon with another good delivery to leave Crewe 111/9. Two fielding mistakes then gifted Crewe a lifeline in this match. Alex Yohannan Usha was dropped on the long-on boundary, and the ball ran away for 4. He went for another big hit into the leg side off the next ball. The fielder on the cow corner boundary was late picking the ball up and dived forward to take the catch, but the ball bounced in front of him and went to the boundary once again.
Haveesh Alluri smashed Twist down the ground powerfully for a boundary in the 18th over as Crewe moved to 130/9. Usha guided McKeown through to the third man fence before smashing him through the covers for a second boundary in the over as Crewe moved to 144/9. Usha was caught by Gater at cover for 23 off Twist in the final over as the home side were bowled out for 146. The last wicket pair added 35 valuable runs after the dropped catch on the boundary. How crucial could those runs be as the match progresses? Maddock was the pick of the Castle bowlers, and he finished with superb figures of 4/43. Wilson bagged 2/30 as Castle will need to bat well to give themselves a chance of making the final.
Harry Ford cut Mahmood’s second ball through the covers for the opening boundary of the innings. He was excellently caught by Alluri at mid-wicket two balls later as Castle lost their first wicket. Angoda struck his first ball handsomely over extra cover for 4 as he opened his account in fine style. Mahmood bowled him next ball when he went for a big hit into the legside to leave Castle 8/2 at the end of an eventful 1st over.
Ethan Brown picked up a streaky boundary when he inside-edged an attempted pull off Youds in the 2nd over, and the ball beat the keeper and ran away to the boundary. Gater was run out in the 4th over when he was involved in a mix-up with Brown. Brown squeezed a full ball to point, and Gater called for a single. Brown sent him back, and he was unable to beat the throw from Alluri, and Castle were reduced to 20/3.
Joe Wilson drove a full toss to the cover boundary to get off the mark in the next over. Brown then picked up another boundary when he cut a short ball past point. Brown pulled Youds for a one-bounce four when he dropped short in the 6th over. Castle ended the power play on 38/3 and had plenty of work to do if they were going to win this match.
Wilson drove sweetly through the covers for a boundary in the next over when Kalnins overpitched. Brown was well at long off by Sriramula for 21 off Kalnins in the 9th over as Castle fell to 51/4. The Crewe spinners were weaving their magic, and run scoring was becoming difficult. At the end of the over, the visitors needed 96 to win from the final 66 balls. Wilson swept behind square for his 3rd boundary in the next over. Maddock found the boundary from the last ball of the 11th over to leave Castle requiring 78 from 54 balls.
Maddock was dismissed in the next over when he under-edged a sweep onto his pad, and the ball ballooned up to keeper Briddon, who took a simple catch to give Alluri his first wicket and leave Castle rocking on 70/5. Mahmood picked up his 3rd wicket when Twist was caught by Rutter on the mid-wicket boundary when he miscued an attempted sweep shot to leave Castle 76/6 after 13 overs.
Wilson smashed a long hop from Alluri high over the mid-wicket boundary for a maximum to take him to 33* in the 14th over. Castle now required 61 for victory from just 36 balls. Callum Bacon bowled Jack Wilson when he went for a big shot in the next over as Castle fell to 87/7. Parkes crashed his first ball over extra cover and away to the boundary before Wilson flicked the final ball through square leg for another boundary to leave the visitors requiring 51 from the final 30 balls.
Only 2 singles came from the well-bowled 16th over before Wilson pulled a short ball from Mahmood for a big 6 over mid-wicket in the next over. He perished for 48 when he was caught by Kalnins on the legside boundary to give Mahmood his 4th wicket. Parkes launched a huge six over cow corner to begin the 18th over before he slapped the next ball over the bowler’s head for four. A flick past short fine leg followed before a single, and two dots rounded out the over. Castle now needed 23 from 12 balls for victory.
Parkes cut Kalnins behind point for a boundary to start the 19th over. Vinnie Purcell was run out from the next ball when he attempted a second run to get Parkes back onto strike. Parkes struck another mighty blow over long off from the next delivery before 2 dots and a single closed out the over to leave the visitors requiring 11 from the final over. There were two singles from the first two balls before Parkes scampered a two from the next ball. He was then run out from the next ball as he tried to turn a single into a two to give Crewe a dramatic 5-run victory. It was so unfortunate for Parkes as he’d almost turned a losing cause into a winning one. He smashed 38 from only 20 balls with four fours and two sixes. Mahmood was the pick of the Crewe spinners and finished with impressive figures of 4/24 from his 4 overs. The home side will now play Stafford in the final. Their spinners were excellent and will be very important in the final, as this pitch has begun to slow down and show signs of turn as the day has gone on.
The final. Crewe 1st XI vs Stafford 1st XI.
Crewe won by 6 wickets.
Mahajan skipped down the pitch and hit Mahmood for a huge six over long on in the 1st over. Jones whipped Youds through mid-wicket before he played a fantastic on-drive down the ground for his second boundary of the over. Mahmood got him caught at cover in the next over when he tried to force the ball through the off side. Mahajan offered a difficult chance to Rutter on the mid-wicket boundary when he smashed a delivery from Mahmood flat into the leg side. Rutter couldn’t take the catch, and the ball ran away to the boundary. He crashed the next ball through cow corner for another boundary before he was well caught at mid-off by Sriramula to give Mahmood his second wicket and leave Stafford 26/2 after three overs.
Liyange drove Youds down the ground for a fine boundary in the next over before he crashed a full toss through extra cover. A third boundary in the over followed via a misfield on the third man boundary as Stafford raced to 42/2 after 4 overs. 5 wides brought up the Stafford 50 in the next over as the scoreboard continued to rattle along. Liyange again drove sweetly through the covers for another boundary in the next over. Harish then clipped a full toss through mid-wicket for the second boundary of the over as Stafford ended the powerplay on 64/2.
Crewe picked up the big wicket of Liyange in the 8th over when he was run out backing up at the non-striker’s end. Alluri deflected a drive from Harish back onto the stumps to remove the dangerous left-hander for 24 from just 12 balls as Stafford fell to 76/3. James cut Bacon to the point fence when he dropped short in the 9th over. Stafford made it to 87/3 at the halfway stage of their innings. The Crewe spinners were starting to restrict the boundaries, and the scoring rate was slowing down. Only 6 singles came from the next 2 overs as the Stafford batters were beginning to get bogged down in the web of spin.
Kalnins trapped Harish LBW for 27 in the 13th over when he tried to work a straight ball into the legside. He bowled Patel through the gate with the next delivery as Stafford fell to 96/5. James found a welcome boundary in the 15th over when he swatted a short ball through mid-wicket. 3 runs followed with a nudge through square leg as it proved to be a useful over for the visitors. The pitch was showing more and more signs of sharp turn as the innings continued.
James smashed a full toss to the mid-wicket boundary in the next over before Lunn slog swept over the leg-side as the score moved to 118/5 at the end of the over. Lunn was caught at point in the next over. a decision he clearly wasn’t happy with. It appeared that he’d hit the ball straight into the ground before it bounced up to the fielder. The umpires conferred, and he was given out to leave Stafford 119/6. James dragged the ball into the leg-side for a vital boundary in the 19th over. He was then dropped at long-off and managed to scamper another 2 runs as Stafford began the last over with 133 on the board. Turner was caught at mid-on by Kalnins off Sriramula as he looked for late runs. Charles Cook then played a lovely shot into the leg-side to pick up 3 more runs before James was bowled for a well-made 36 from the final delivery as Stafford closed on 139/7.
Kalnin’s off-spin was excellent, and he was the pick of the home side’s bowlers as he finished with 3/15 from his 4 overs. Mahmood claimed 2/35, and Sriramula grabbed 2/10 at the death. Crewe will have to bat well if they want to chase this down. The pitch has really begun to slow down, and the powerplay with be very important. The new ball could well fly off the bat, and I expect to see a lot of spin in the second innings.
Briddon nicked the first ball of the chase for a streaky boundary down to fine leg. He found the boundary again later in the over with a fine shot over extra cover as the home side took 9 runs from the over. Briddon picked up a short ball from Harish and smashed it over mid-wicket for his 3rd boundary in the 4th over as the score moved to 23/0. Sriramula nicked between the keeper and slip when he attempted a big drive in the 5th over. The ball flew away to the third man fence for his first boundary.
Briddon flicked effortlessly over square leg for another boundary in the 6th over. He was then dropped in the covers next ball before he swept behind square for his second boundary of the over to round out the powerplay with the score on 40/0. He found the boundary for the 6th time when he swept Liyange to the backward square leg boundary to bring up the 50 for the home side. He was caught by Lunn at mid-wicket two balls later for a brisk 34 when he attempted to work a ball into the legside. Kalnins was dropped on the deep mid-wicket boundary from the final ball of the over. To make matters worse for the visitors, the ball went to the boundary as the score moved to 57/1.
Sriramula was well caught by Liyange on the long on boundary off the bowling of Turner as Crewe lost their 2nd wicket without addition to the total. Kalnins backed away and lifted the final ball of over high over extra over for his 2nd boundary before Liyange got one through his defences in the next over as Crewe fell to 65/3.
Youds struck James for an enormous six over mid-wicket in the 12th over as Crewe required 58 to win from 48 deliveries. Meakin cut strongly behind point for a boundary in the next over to take the score to 91/3 with 7 overs left. Youds found the mid-wicket boundary from the last ball of the 14th over as the home side now wanted 40 to win from 36 balls. A reverse sweep brought him his second boundary in the next over. Turner then had Meakin stumped by Ian Young when he skipped down the track later in the over to leave Crewe 106/4 with 5 overs to go.
Youds smashed the first ball of the 16th over powerfully down the ground for a boundary before he slog swept the third ball through mid-wicket for his second boundary of the over. A huge six over square leg then followed as Crewe moved to within 20 runs of victory. Mahmood smashed a six over mid-wicket in the next over before he cut powerfully behind point to take the home side to within 9 runs of victory.
Mahmood dragged a ball into the leg-side for another boundary in the next over before Youds finished the match in style with an enormous blow over long on for a maximum. It sealed a comfortable 6-wicket victory for the home side. He finished with an unbeaten 47 from just 24 balls with four fours and three sixes as he got his side over the line with 14 balls to spare.
Stafford couldn’t capitalise on their fast start, and they became trapped in Crewe’s web of spin. They ended probably 20 runs short of a competitive total, and Crewe were excellent with that bat in the final. They got ahead of the run rate early and never fell behind in the chase. They’d been fantastic in both games with both bat and ball, and they thoroughly deserved the first piece of silverware awarded in the 2026 season.
Leave a Reply