URMSTON 1st XI almost pulled off the shock of the season so far last Saturday against last seasons Cheshire County League Premier division runners up, when they failed to secure victory by the narrowest of margins down at the Moorside Road ground in a game that went to the very last ball of the day.

Skipper Rob Tootell won the toss and asked Macclesfield to bat on a track that had a couple of interesting looking damp patches at one end. The home side couldn't make the breakthrough as Macc's opening pair put on 47 for the first wicket. Gary Saunders was introduced in to the attack and in his second over, 2 balls after being hit out of the ground for 6, he managed to trap Ackerley in front LBW for 29. This brought Mike Reed to the crease and he and his skipper added a further 23 before Reed was clean bowled by Tootell with just 6 to his name. The new batsman was Victoria State batsman Mike Allen and he shared a 66 run partnership with his skipper Paul Hughes, which was broken when Kiwi Davidson had Hughes caught by Richard Hudd with the score on 136 The Kiwi then grabbed 2 wickets in 3 balls with Stuart Higginbottom taking a stunning catch to dismiss Allen for 39. Urmston really turned the screw now, and with Hudd grabbing 2 wickets in an economical 8 over spell, and Edginton doing likewise from the other end, the innings closed with Macclesfield on 166 for 9 from their 55 overs.

Urmston's reply struggled in the early stages with Higginbottom caught behind off Hillaby for 3 with the score on 8. Hillaby was causing havoc and he then removed Craig Grindley LBW for 15 and an over later had Davidson clean bowled for a duck leaving Urmston in severe difficulty at 26 for 3. The fight back started as Steve Cartwright and Ian Grindley added 47 for the fourth wicket before Grindley was caught behind for 22. The veteran Steve Dartnell strode to the crease and with Cartwright his usual patient self they took the game to within Urmstons grasp. Then disaster struck as first Dartnell for 32 and then Cartwright for 68 were both bowled by Hillaby having added an 80 run partnership, and when Gary Saunders was bowled as well for a duck, 3 wickets had fallen in the same over with no addition to the score. Urmston now needed 13 runs for the tie and 14 runs in the last over for the win, and when Rob Tootell hit the first ball for 6 hopes began to return. A further 5 runs were added meaning Richard Hudd needed to score at least 2 runs off the final ball, but in virtual darkness the pair could only manage a single leaving Urmston tantalizingly close at 165 for 8 in their reply, ruing the single lost over to the weather.