Norley Hall bounce back in style to maintain title charge

Home skipper Callam Hughes won the toss at City Road and, mindful of needing maximum bonus points, elected to bat first in what seemed to be damp, bowler friendly conditions.

Opening batters Alex Martlew and Colin Parrott got the team off to a steady start, and Martlew in particular, carried on his fine form of the week before until he was adjudged leg before wicket for 19.

When Parrott edged behind, the innings could have teetered at 31-2, but Hughes - moving up the order - stabilised the situation with Shah Afridi until the skipper was caught in the slips to make the score 59-3.

With the visitors eyeing a chance to make further inroads, Afridi and Matthew Hayes extinguished any such hopes with an assured fourth-wicket partnership of 135.

The two batters' styles complemented each other, but both were watchful when required and showed sound shot selection alongside effective running between the wickets.

Afridi brought up a very well deserved first century for the club to the delight of the watching spectators – his emotional celebration showing how much the moment meant to him also.

With the threat of some rain after 5pm, Afridi was eventually caught behind for 113 as he tried to get his team to maximum batting points as quickly as possible.

Hayes (54 not out), meanwhile, reached his deserved stylish half century and found support from Charlie Benson, allowing Hughes to declare at 220-5 in 49.4 overs.

After tea, Norley's opening pace bowlers Ryan Wood and Liam Martlew roared in and wickets then continued to go down at regular intervals, as they removed the first seven names on the scorecard.

After a run out, Robert Collier took a wicket with his first ball as wicketkeeper Hayes took a sharp caught behind chance stood up to the stumps.

The visitors' 10th-wicket partnership rallied to get 100 and a first batting point before Callum Martlew struck with his second ball to secure victory by 120 runs, as Cheshire Lines were all out for 100 in 26.2 overs.

Wood was the star bowler with figures of 5-52 in a spell of genuine hostility, while Liam Martlew took 2-29, Collier 1-19 and Callum Martlew 1-0.

With most other relevant results being favourable to Hughes and his team, they go back to the top of the table with one game to go ahead of Saturday's trip to Whitefield.

Also on Saturday, Keiron Ashcroft took his second team to play away at higher-placed Hightown St. Mary’s.

Asked to bat first, Ashcroft’s team made 203-8 declared in 46 overs, thanks to Gareth Cottom (27), Haroon Naseri (33), Minhaz Pathan (58) and Tehzeem Galgalia (20), who all batted with great application.

In reply, the Norley bowlers took wickets regularly until the hosts decided to drop anchor and try to hold on for the draw.

Hightown finished on 137-7 in 39 overs, with Ashcroft taking 2-19, Mo Kapadia 2-30, and a wicket apiece for James Woodcock (1-30) and Aston Bailey (1-20).