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Sunday, September 6th, 2009
Premier Division Review 5th September 2009
With just one game left of a topsy-turvy season there are still issues at the top and bottom of the table to resolve.
Little Stoke’s 20 points from their win in their game against Wood Lane is the Sentinel’s Match of the Day, left the door slightly ajar for Longton if they were to win batting first at Audley. This they did, by just 9 runs, to claim top spot by two points from Gareth Morris’ team.
Mike Longmore made a steady 33 for longton but they lost wickets at regular intervals in the face of a superb spell by Audley’s Andy Johnson (4-66 from 28 overs). At 104-7 the Longton innings was in danger of stagnating at best, but a rapid 44 from seasoned all-rounder Andy Kenvyn ensured that Pete Wilshaw’s team at least had someothing to defend as they closed on 161-9.
Professional Roger Sillence then continued his superb form for Longton with a devastating and match-winning spell of 7-31. Stefan Rduch put up soliod resistance with 36 against his previous team, but at 86-8 the game looked all over. But Johnson completed a fine allr-round performance as he and Dave Freeman put on 65 for the ninth wicket to put Audley within sight of victory.
But Sillence took two late wickets which could prove crucial this time next week. Longton now host relegation-favourites Leek whilst Little Stoke face a tricky derby game at local rivals and fast-improving Stone, next Saturday in what should be a fascinating end to the season.
Stone have had a great second half to the season and can still mathematically win the league after they won at Hem Heath, with the home team scrambling just enough points that should see them staying up this season.
Stone had Qaiser Abbas to thank for their 31 run victory as he struck an unbeaten 81 and took four key wickets in a fine all-round performance. He was given good back up from Luke Cheadle’s half-century with the bat and Russ Ballard’s five wickets with the ball. Hem Heath’s John Cheadle struck a fine 52 but it was in vain as Stone triumphed.
It’s tight at the bottom of the league with just 6 points separating the bottom three clubs.
As stated before, Leek face a mammoth task at Longton next weekend and they weren’t helped by losing a low-scoring game at home to Porthill. Richard Cooper and the in-form Colin Dearden both took four wickets for the Moorlands side as only Porthill’s Josh Butler put up any resistance in his side’s total of 120.
But Butler followed this up with three wickets and Mark Bengry took 4-24 as Leek struggled for runs and were eventually dismissed for just 100.
Leek are bottom but just a solitary point behind Leycett who had much the better of their crunch relegation game at Moddershall. Derbyshire’s Dan Redfearn returned to smash an unbeaten 115 for Leycett as they declared on 221-3, but the visitors might rue not declaring sooner as their hosts were way off the pace and settled for a draw on 153-8, with Chris Beech (66) once more in the runs for Modd. Leycett’s Rob Heath and Richard White both took three wickets and Ian Boulton’s men are just five points behind their opponents.
Next week, Moddershall face a trip to Knypersley and Leycett host Audley.
One-time championship favourites Knypersley have stuttered since half-way and they lost a low-scoring game at Burslem. Tim Goodwin’s determined 37 ensured that Knypersley reached 128, with Kevin Cockerton (5-36) and Ant Sheeran (3-34) doing the damage with the ball for Burslem.
The home side struggled in the face of an excellent spell from Darren Butler (6-44) but Josh Tittensor dug-in for an invaluable unbeaten 37 from 140 balls to see his side to a two wicket victory that keeps them in mid-table.
