Bowl-out despair for Heyside

RAIN wrecked one final and two semi-finals in the Ashton and Oldham Cricket Alliance.
Heyside staged the finale to the Fawcett/Penney Supplementary Cup competition and, in a game reduced to 30 overs per side, the hosts won the toss and invited Greengate to bat.

Recovering from the loss of an early wicket, the visitors declared on 167 for six, a decision taken with a band of wet weather moving in fast.

Clark and Simpson, with 57 and 48 respectively, were the mainstays of the total.

Robinson took three for 31 and Topping claimed two for 37.

Unfortunately no further play was possible and it was Greengate who won the bowl-out 2-0 after hits from Simpson and Hamer.

It was semi-finals day in the Phoenix Trophy, but both games were ruined by the weather.

Newtonhurst beat Foresters 2-1 in a bowl-out, with Stone and Simpson the successful bowlers.

They had earlier reached 174 for four from 29 overs when rain stopped play. Boyle, with 80, and Simpson (39) were the unbeaten batsmen.

The last-four tie between Friends and Radclyffe was decided by the toss of a coin — and it was the Radclyffe captain who called correctly to book his side’s place in the final.

Friends can count themselves as slightly unlucky. They rallied from 24 for six to post 132 — Wright took the first six wickets for 12 runs — before reducing Radclyffe to 22 for four when the heavens opened.

The final is at Ashton CC on Saturday (start 1.30pm).