CRICKET: Marple 176, Sale 150-9

20/ 6/2008

Sale have ended their sequence of defeats against Marple – but it was a close-run thing as their last two batsmen held on for eight overs to salvage a draw.

Sale gained the upper hand in the early stages of the Marple innings, on Saturday, June 14, as they reduced the hosts to 61 for 5 at the 25 overs stage. Despite losing J-P Lee to a back problem after he had bowled just three overs, the other bowlers responded well with skipper Mike Halkon picking up a couple of wickets in harness with Jamie Broadbent and Rick Halkon, who also had early successes.

Marple came back with a sixth wicket stand of 29, but progress was slow, due mainly to Rick Halkon’s usual economic leg-spin in which he conceded only 11 runs off his first 12 overs.

John Taylor grabbed a couple of useful wickets early in his spell and at 112 for 7 Marple’s position looked precarious.

However, Worrall, batting at No. 9, attacked the Sale bowling productively and his 41 off 38 balls helped his side to muster useful late runs that Sale could ill afford.

Sale made a faltering start to their innings with both openers dismissed inside 11 overs.

Taylor again looked the in-form player with some early boundaries but his partners were unable to stick around and no significant partnerships were put together.

Marple’s bowling was under-strength and Aussie Bertling ended up bowling unchanged from one end throughout the innings and he conceded little more than two runs an over throughout his spell.

Taylor eventually fell for 37 and Ian Harrop also hit seven boundaries in his 33, but wickets fell at crucial stages to thwart Sale’s run-chase. Bertland and Barrow struck three times in four overs to finally deny Sale any hope of a win, Worrall capping a successful day with five victims behind the stumps. It was left to Mike Halkon and Broadbent to play out the final eight overs, which they did relatively comfortably, the third batting point in fact helping them to muster 10 points in the match, one more than Marple.

Sale’s 2nd XI were back on the winning trail on Saturday when they comfortably defeated Marple at Sale, thereby securing an eighth win in nine matches.