Urmston get off to winning start (From Messenger Newspapers)

Urmston get off to winning start

6:11pm Monday 23rd April 2012 in Sport

STERLING work from the groundsman meant Urmston overcame an overnight deluge and a week's worth of rain to get the UCG pitch fit to play a reduced 84-over match against last season’s Cheshire Premier League runners up, Chester Boughton Hall CC on Saturday.

Urmston won the toss and skipper Sumit Panda had no hesitation in inserted Chester on what looked like a green deck.

Chester lost Olly Thompson and Cheshire batsman, Lee Dixon, early to the opening burst from Cheshire seamer Adam Syddall and Panda but Mark Rowlands and Mike Robinson dug in and built a platform for a useful score with Chester at 58/2 off 17 overs.

Panda then turned to veteran paceman Kurt Edginton, who produced an excellent spell of seam bowling that tore the heart out of the Chester batting.

Joined by fellow seamer Rana Malook (4/20), Edginton's blast of 3/12 off eight overs ensured that Urmston would be chasing a low total. Syddall (2/35) also chipped in with one of his wickets being a wonderful stumping from wicket keeper and Lancashire Under 19s skipper, Elliot Bullock. After a good start Chester were all out for 98 in 40 overs.

Set 99 to win off 44 overs, Urmston lost the prolific Chris Watson in the first over but a solid second wicket partnership of 64 between Bullock (37) and new opener Nick Fawcett (31) steadied the ship and laid the foundations for what was to prove a comfortable 6 wicket win that was achieved with 13 overs to spare.

Urmston recorded a 25-pont win and will look to build on that on the long trip to Neston CC next Saturday.