CRICKET: Unsworth do the double to leave Stretford empty-handed

The Greater Manchester Cricket League Division One clash was first up on a hot Saturday and skipper Karl Taylor elected to bowl after winning the toss.

And his decision soon looked to be a good one when Unsworth opener Jack O’Brien was dismissed without troubling the scorers after just nine balls.

With a continual fall of wickets, Stretford looked in control when, after 22.3 overs, Unsworth lost their fourth wicket with just 58 scored.

However, stand-in pro Shaun Von Berg brought stability to Unsworth, taking them to a respectable 166-9.

Taylor picked up four wickets in his 15-over spell and Brad Holmes claimed three victims in his seven overs

Stretford's reply did not get off to the best of starts with openers Adrian Holmes and Ocean O'Malley both falling in the first two overs of the innings.

However, with Angus Harman and Oral Rankine at the crease Stretford soon got going and reached 78 before the latter was caught for 30.

With Harman looking comfortable, Stretford failed to bat around the Kiwi with the lower order being dismissed cheaply as they ended 28 runs short of their target on 139.

The following day, the sides met again in the cup at Lesley Road with the same outcome.

With roles reversed, Stretford took the crease first, however the performance seemed similar with opener Adrian Holmes falling cheaply and the in-form Harman unlucky in his dismissal.

Stretford once again found themselves 18-2 and playing catch-up.

Despite some resilience from Taylor, Ben Riddell and Mark Stamper, Stretford were skittled for just 128, leaving Unsworth needing 129 to progress to the next round.

When Rankine dismissed Casey, caught behind by Harman for just eight and Unsworth on just 12, Stretford got the start they wanted.

However, Nasar and Arora got to work, knocking down the score with both batsmen scoring fifties to lead Unsworth to their second victory over Stretford inside two days.