Runs bonanza at T20

REGULARS at the Coppice had never seen anything like it.

No less than 33 sixes and 34 fours were smashed in a John Willie Lees Twenty20 match which will surely rank as the most exciting in the competition’s short history.

Werneth and Royton were the protagonists and it was the former, having been put in to bat, who lit up the ground with a series of scintillating shots.

Opening batsman John Slater hit one six, but when pro Hasnain Abbas and overseas amateur Lewis Ashton joined forces, the result was carnage for the Royton bowlers.

Abbas crashed 15 sixes and 10 fours in a blistering unbeaten 141 from a mere 59 balls.

And Ashton raced to 73 not out from only 41 balls, flaying six sixes and four fours as Werneth rattled up a 12-and-a-half runs per over total of 250 for two.

Royton appeared to have no chance of victory, but no-one had told opening batsmen Ryan Carruthers and stand-in pro Roelof Hugo.

Carruthers creamed the ball to all parts in his 17-ball knock of 55 which included five sixes and five fours.

And Hugo was hardly a bystander during his 34-ball 66 which featured the same boundary statistics.

When skipper Alan Durose was out for a 30-ball 37, Royton were in with a shout on 176 for two.

But scoreboard pressure eventually took its toll and the visitors were dismissed for 223 - a fantastic score, but one which fell 27 runs shy of the hosts’ incredible total.

Each boundary and wicket was greeted with a fanfare from a local group of trumpeters.

So not only was their action aplenty, but some musical accompaniment to boot!

PLAY continues in the competition tomorrow (6.15pm) when the final round of group matches take place.

South-West section: Clifton v Unsworth; Monton and Weaste v Radcliffe.

South-East: Oldham v Royton; Werneth v Ashton.

North-West: Heywood v Rochdale; Middleton v Norden.

North-East: Milnrow v Crompton; Walsden v Littleborough.