Hem Heath 99/4 in reply to Elworth 108 all out

Match Abandoned

Hem Heath 8 points, Elworth 6

The deluge came and saved the Foxes on Saturday, it was agonisingly close for the hosts, but the umpires kept the

players on the field as long as they could as the ran worsened until it became impractical to continue.

Hem Heath understandably will feel aggrieved but there was little option. The match started late due to the rain in the preceding 24 hours, a delayed start time came and went with the rain falling as if the morning's effort had been a warm-up for the real thing.

Elworth were put into bat, undoubtedly, had Russ Ballard won the toss he would have invited Hem Heath to take a knock.

The ball was soon on top as the Foxes, in the face of some skilful bowling by Liam Fox from the Longton End and Ben Lucas from the Pavilion End, lost three wickets for two runs.

Alex Banks was bowled by his namesake for two, debutante Will Happe (0) was adjudged LBW, to Lucas and Ed Parrish (0) was caught at the wicket by Matthew Hodson again off

Banks.

Happe was perhaps unlucky, he is tall young man and the ball struck at a height which suggested it was going over

the top of the stumps, no matter, the bowlers were using the conditions well and Elworth were in a bad place.

William Mashinge (18) and Ash Rogers (10) briefly calmed proceedings but Rogers fell to a brilliant left-handed

catch at third slip by Tom Hodson off Lucas.

It became a procession as Mashinge, Ballard (5), Mike Stewart (0), Sam Baldwin (0) all perished leaving Elworth 40/8 in only the 18th over, in an innings reduced to 38.

Steve Morgan joined Chris Winter and an unlikely, ultimately match-saving, partnership took shape. The pair not

only added 62 invaluable runs, they also batted for 19 overs.

Nazakat Ali replaced Lucas at the Pavilion End and

proved no less difficult to score off, but Winter and Morgan grasped any opportunity to take runs where they

could.

Rain drove the players off for a short time but on their return several boundaries came. Not always from

the middle of the bat but usually along the ground.

Morgan hit two big sixes off Matthew Rogerson as he moved

to 30 before he was stumped by Matt Hodson off Tom Hodson's bowling.

Winter was last out for 32 caught by Ben Rogerson off Nazakat's bowling. 108 was riches indeed given the depths to which Elworth's innings had plunged earlier.

The clouds overhead and roundabout glowered ominously, and the home side would have been acutely aware of

the need to make haste in the chase. They did, Ben Rogerson and Liam Banks both playing expansive shots to get the innings rolling.

Banks, it has been said before, is one of the best players in the league his big hundred at Elworth earlier in the season featured a broken windscreen for Steve Morgan's car. Here hit not one but three vehicles.

One from a straight six off Morgan which smashed the rear window of one car, and the other two from

one blow which ricocheted from one car onto another

Stoke City's stadium is close to Hem Heath's ground and many fans of the Potters park at the cricket ground, using

the club for pre-and post-match drinks.

The cricket club could run the 'mind your car mister' routine employed at some locations; whereby young entrepreneurs offer to make sure nothing untoward happens to one's vehicle whilst you are in the football ground. The patter would be 'give us a fiver and we'll make sure Banko doesn't hit

your car.'

Banks is certainly the man to target the right ones. If you are not on the receiving end, he is a fine player

to watch. He moved to a fluent 50, clearly aiming to get the job done before the inevitable rain.

When Mashinge came on Banks unceremoniously pulled for him six but, when he tried to repeat the dose was caught superbly and acrobatically by Ash Rogers running around the square leg boundary.

Rogerson had gone for 27, bowled by Morgan despite the bowler finding the ball greasy due to the wet ground.

Mike Holt who found his footing a little suspect and switched to the Longton End then bowled Ben Lucas for four.

Banks' dismissal found Hem Heath at 84/3 the only threat being the weather. The rain was falling steadily when,

with the score 99, Morgan trapped Matt Hodson LBW for 12.

At that point the umpires conferred again, and this

time concluded that the conditions were unfit for play. It was frustrating for the home side who would, short of a

cataclysmic collapse have won.

The result leaves Elworth top of Division One and still with a 20 point lead over second-placed Hem Heath,

Knypersley are 30 points behind the Foxes and Eccleshall 38.

Six matches remain, we are now at the real business

end of the season. This Saturday Little Stoke are the visitors to Elworth, starting at 12:30pm. Hem Heath meanwhile

travel to Newcastle whilst Knypersley host Blythe.

The Second XI home match in Division Four against Silverdale was abandoned without a ball bowled, each side

taking three points.

Somehow Newcastle managed to get their game with Stone SP played and they duly won by three wickets. Their haul of 18 points puts them level at the top with Elworth, both on 224 points.

Then come Porthill Park on 220, Bignall End on 210 and Onneley 1st XI on 200. This Saturday Elworth 2nd XI travel to Moddershall.Chris Winter contemplates life