Widnes Recs 1st XI v Rylands

HAVING loss the toss, Widnes Recs were asked to bat on a green, damp wicket.

Rylands soon made a breakthrough, capturing opener Yearsley for nought.

Skipper for the day, Morgan, came in and along with Findlater added 25, before Morgan was clean bowled for five.

Mark Douglas soon followed, clean bowled for nought.

Mark 'Pinkie' Pierce joined Findlater and added 31 to the score, before being caught for five.

Jim 'Boss-man' Ashall came in at number six to partner Findlater to take the score to 105, before Findlater's wicket fell, having scored what was to be a winning total of 61 which included seven fours.

Thirteen more runs were added to the total of 118 all out in 39 overs.

Ashall second top scored with 14 out, being bowled on the dreaded Nelson.

Rylands in reply, having 55 overs to reach this getable total, stuttered in response to some tight bowling, especially from John Brocklebank who claimed four wickets for 31 runs.

Rylands score after nine overs, 23 for five wickets, with Ste Shuttleworth claiming one wicket in his six over spell for 18.

Tea was taken after the fifth wicket fell and afterwards it was much the same tale.

Rylands batsmen couldn't cope with the bowlers with James Lyons, coming on for Shutts, bowling his left arm fast and claiming three wickets for just 17 runs.

Yearsley relieved the tiring Brocklebank and captured one wicket for four runs from three overs.

Rylands final total, 72 all out with 20 points to the Rec's and four to Rylands.

Rylands v Widnes Recs 2nd XI

HAVING lost the toss, the Rec's second string were asked to bat on a dry wicket.

Openers Price and Holland started off rather tentatively with Holland being the main run-getter.

Price went cheaply for four, being caught at gully.

Youngster Rob Magee came to the crease and helped 'Dutch' Holland to put on 45 for the second wicket before being caught by the wicket-keeper for 19.

Beddingfield came in and within 14 balls was back in the pavilion, disappointed having only scored eight runs.

The score at this stage 74-4 from 28 overs, Holland having been dismissed, caught for 23 in the previous over.

There was a mini collapse in the middle order with three batsmen scoring 10 between themselves.

'Fluff' Freeman out for nought and 'Doc' Stanley and 'Maestro' Burns, each out for five runs apiece.

Enter the tall, figure of Derek 'Big D' Hulstrom, playing his first full game of the year with a few lusty blows, he helped himself to a much needed 21 runs, including a might six to the mid-on boundary.

David Williams helped 'Big D' to put on 32 for the eight wicket with David 11 not out, in the final total of 127 all out.

Rylands started courteously with 15 runs coming in only 13 overs, but with the Rec's outstanding fielding, the run-rate was always below the asking rate.

It wasn't until Evans came in, that the run-rate started going up, scoring 38 not out.

He took the game by the scruff of the neck and punished some slack bowling to the boundary on several occasions.

The turning point was when 'Doc' Stanley, wicket-keeping for the first time in years, snapped up opener, Shaw, having made a fist of a stand, scoring 32 from Rob Magee's bowling.

Skipper Albert McMaster enjoyed himself, having scored 17 before fall lbw to Bri Cafferty.

Left-hander Mason came in to have a go at the bowlers, but fell to a full blooded drive, caught by Price at mid-wicket.

Stapleton lasted just one ball, caught by 'Big D' Hulstrom at square-leg.

With the overs slowly being ate away, the batsmen needed 14 from the last over to win, but with the majority of the fielders out on the boundaries, to stop any fours, the game finished with Rylands eight runs shy from victory, 120-6 wickets.

A truly memorable winning draw for the Recs who fielded no less than three juniors in this understrength side.

The Recs keep their momentum going towards winning the 2nd XI Championship with the big one to be played in a few weeks against rivals West Leigh.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.