Disley Cricket Club

The 1stXI’s two-month wait for a home victory continued on Saturday as rain prevented an almost certain win over basement side Wirral at the DASC. It was back down to earth for most of the batsmen after a week of hard tracks on tour in Bristol, but Disley were indebted to Will Ritchie as his remarkable, career-best innings of 73 powered an otherwise toothless batting effort to 137. It deserved to be a match-winning knock, but rain consistently interrupted a second innings in which the visitors were at one point 19-6 as Arrowsmith, Hare and Banner all bagged braces. A recovery of sorts had taken Wirral to 59-7 but, with both sides desperate to play to a conclusion, a third stoppage for rain brought a premature end.

By virtue of their greater discipline in the field, the 1stXI overcame struggling Sandbach in another low-scoring encounter where the game played out as both the league and fair play tables would suggest. A massive 32 extras in the Disley innings was a greater tally than any individual batsman managed on the day, with only a superb knock from Jake Reynolds (30) coming close as a solid platform was wasted to total just 133 all-out. It didn’t seem enough, but the home side were stifled by long spells from Ross Arrowsmith (5-54) and Martin Blackbourn (3-23) on their way to a dismal 88 all-out. It was a spirited performance in the face of provocation, but the struggle of the Disley batsmen to convert their potential into tangible scores continues.

Bunbury became the first side to complete a League double over the 1stXI in 5 years, and, in the process, all but ended any hopes of promotion this season. It was no more than the visitors deserved as they outplayed Disley in every facet of the game, despite a low-scoring encounter keeping the home side interested right to the end as Rick Robinson-Moss added to his five wickets with some lusty hitting. It was the kind of defeat that leads to much soul searching, shot out for 91 to complete an afternoon of erratic batting, errant fielding and undisciplined bowling. A season-defining trio of home games have now come and gone with a record of an abandonment and two losses, leaving much work to be done to even retain a top-four spot.

The 1stXI were left frustrated by the rain as a second prolonged shower of the afternoon proved fatal for the clash of 3rd and 4th at the DASC on Saturday. With the Chester County Officers’ innings going nowhere fast at 47-6, the captains shook hands on 7pts apiece to save the visitor’s blushes after they had won what looked a crucial toss and sent Disley back for just 111. Ross Arrowsmith (36 & 3-15) led the way with bat and ball to help turn the game in the 1stXI’s favour, but consecutive victories for Disley are currently proving elusive as they strive for the kind of form that could bridge the gap to the promotion places. That gap again grew as all fixtures in the west of the county were played to a conclusion, dropping the 1stXI to 4th place.

The 2ndXI provided a microcosm of their season to date with an encouraging winning-draw to knock table-topping Chester County Officers down to third place in a tight promotion race. The teams played out a level-score draw at the DASC earlier in the season, and again Disley held firm to prevent the home side chasing down their first-innings tally of 171 as they closed at 160-7. It meant a seventh draw of the season, but this would rank amongst the more positive as it came against a form team who are undefeated in 2010. Toby Carson led the way with bat and ball to ensure a positive result, compiling a useful 43 to rally the middle and lower order before taking three wickets as Disley’s total proved beyond the hosts.