Burslem 1st XI v Porthill 2nd XI
Porthill won by 9 wickets.
Burslem won the toss and elected to bat. Burslem were soon reduced to 37/3 and never really recovered as they were bowled out for 112 by some very good Porthill bowling. Tom Mason claimed 4/20 as he did the most damage. There were two wickets apiece for Ben Green and Jake Plummer as the visitors had bowled themselves into a match-winning position in the first half of this match.
Joe Bridgewater made 34* as he shared an opening stand of 109 with Plummer, who made 54 from 64 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes, as there was to be no comeback from the home after the tea break. Bridgewater struck five fours in his innings as his side booked a place in the semi-finals.
Cheadle 2nd XI v Little Stoke 1st XI
Cheadle won by 3 wickets (DLS)
Little Stoke won the toss and elected to bat. Tom Phillips batted throughout the Little Stoke innings to finish unbeaten on 64; he struck five boundaries and faced 105 balls as he anchored the innings. James Ecclestone then made a dazzling 116 for the visitors from just 70 balls. He hit twelve 4s and smashed seven 6s as he added 154 with Phillips for the 3rd wicket. It was a brutal innings from the skipper, and he had put his side in a commanding position as they closed on 221/3 from their 40 overs.
Rain in the first innings meant that Cheadle were chasing a reduced target of 194 off 35 overs. Scott Harvey began the chase well as he scored a run-a-ball 41, which included six 4s and one six before he was dismissed. Cheadle had made their way to 89/4 from 17 overs before the rain returned. Twenty-seven minutes were lost, and the target was reduced to 150 off 27 overs. Harry Bonehill then went on the attack after play resumed. He smashed 47 from 38 balls with four 4s and two 6s as he got his side to within 13 runs of victory before he was dismissed. Cheadle got over the line with 14 balls to spare and secured a place in the semi-finals. Little Stoke bowled 28 wides in the Cheadle innings, which must have played a factor in them losing this match.
Eccleshall 2nd XI v Wedgwood 1st XI.
Wedgwood won by 4 wickets.
Wedgwood won the toss and elected to field. Harry Oliver made 38 for the home side at the top of the order. He shared a 3rd wicket stand of 44 with Connor Beasley before he was dismissed. Beasley went on to make an unbeaten 80 from 92 balls that anchored the innings for the home side. He struck three 4s and four 6s in his knock as Eccleshall closed on 181/7 from their 40 overs. Ade Lello and Archie Moore took two wickets each for the visitors.
Aaron Tymczuk made 25 and Haroon Khan 23 as Wedgwood recovered well after they lost two early wickets. Ramzan Mohammed added a run-a-ball 48, which included one four and four 6s as he pushed the visitors towards their victory target. Lello then made an unbeaten 35 to get them over the line with four overs remaining. Connor Barrett and Jordan Beasley each took two wickets, but it wasn’t enough for them in the end as Wedgwood marched on to the semi-finals.
Endon 2nd XI v Church Eaton 1st XI.
Endon won by 5 wickets (DLS)
Endon won the toss and elected to field. Jon Arnold made 23 at the top of the order for Church Eaton as Dan Shelley claimed three early wickets for the home side. Jack Leah made an unbeaten 39 from 69 balls as the visitors closed on 163/9 off their 40 overs. Leah was supported by Matt White, who made 33 as they added 44 for the 5th wicket. Shelley finished with figures of 3/34, and he was backed up by Owen Sims, who took 3/14 as Endon took wickets at regular intervals.
Steve Smith then blasted 45 off just 27 balls as he got the home side off to a flying start. He smashed four 4s and four 6s in an opening boundary blitz. He added 74 for the opening wicket in just 8.3 overs with his partner, Ashley Porter, who made 38. Twenty-six minutes of play were then lost to rain, and the target was reduced to 164 off 34 overs. Kyle Brassington then made 22 and Kevin Cockerton 20* as the home side secured a comfortable victory after their early batting blitz.
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