DITTON DELIGHT

TWO close rivals put on a brilliant display of cricket in glorious sunshine - the best day of the summer - for the honour of winning the prestigious Hyde Cup Final at the Widnes Recreation Club on Sunday, August 9.

Ditton won the toss and asked Moorfield Spence to take first knock.

Opening batsmen Ian Maher and Brian Tobin got the Moorfield Spence innings off to a fine start, spraying shots all over the pitch, they put on 68 runs for the first wicket in 11 overs when Brian Tobin was caught by Robbie Morris off Phil Dale for 27.

Six runs later Ian Maher, having scored a handsome 40 runs, was run-out by a brilliant throw from the boundary by Wayne Lamey

13 runs were added for the third wicket by Neil Maher, bowled by Phil Dale for eight and Ted Eustance.

Eustance was then helped to add a further 14 runs by skipper, Kevin McCann, who was caught by Rob Yearsley for nine runs off Phil Dale's bowling.

Les Calverly did not last long as Phil Dale had him caught behind the wicket by Gareth Hatton for a duck.

Moorfield Spence's score was then 101 runs for five wickets in 18 overs.

Ted Eustance, with a sound innings of nine runs, was next out when he was caught by Robbie Morris off Wayne Lamey's bowling who then accounted for Tony Harrison having him clean-bowled after scoring two.

In Moorfield Spence's quest for quick runs and against some keen fielding by Ditton CC, their batsmen lost two wickets in the last two overs to run-outs.

Gavin Harrison was run-out by Jason Godwin (0), and Karl Fitzgerald run-out by Ste Morgan for three.

This brought the innings to a close at 20 overs with the Moorfield Spence total at 108 for nine wickets.

Phil Dale was Ditton's outstanding bowler with four wickets for 28 runs with Wayne Lamey's support of two wickets for 19 runs.

Ditton's reply got off to a bad start when Ste Morgan was out in the second over caught by Jim Chambers off Ged McCann for two.

Rob Yearsley joined opener, Wayne Lamey, and together they equalled the quality batting of Moorfield Spence as they hit runs quite freely and put on a splendid stand of 60 runs in nine overs for the second wicket.

Lamey played a captain's innings of 39 runs in 11 overs when he was bowled by Karl Fitzgerald.

In the same over with the addition of one run, Rob Yearsley (19) was clean-bowled by Fitzgerald.

Dave Evans, who was batting confidently, was joined by Robbie Morris and together they put on 20 runs in four overs until Morris was caught at the wicket by Les Calverly off the bowling of Fitzgerald for three runs.

Ditton's score was then 86 runs for five wickets in 15 overs.

It was a splendid spell of medium pace-bowling by Karl Fitzgerald who took the three wickets for 20 runs.

Former captain, Tony Poole, next helped Evans to put on the winning runs from Ditton's strong position.

Together the batsmen put on 23 runs with confident batting in an unbroken stand for the fifth wicket, and thus clinching the win which meant that Ditton had retained the trophy.

Dave Evans was not-out for 27 and Tony Poole finished with 10 not-out.

The winning runs of 109 for four wickets were scored but with only 1.2 overs remaining - a good effort against accurate bowling and fielding of Moorfield Spence.

Karl Fitzgerald was the outstanding bowler for Moorfield Spence taking three wickets for 20 runs.

Neither team deserved to lose, such was the high standard of cricket performed.

The league president, alderman, Bob Beswick, introduced Mr Malcolm Friar of AgrEvo (UK) Ltd, deputising for Tim Green of AgrEvo (UK), who presented the Hyde Cup to the successful captain Wayne Lamey of Ditton CC, the winners awards to all the Ditton players and runners-up awards to Moorfield Spence.

Umpires mementoes were presented to David Quirk and Keith Wakefield.

Additional umpires mementos were also presented to Derek Hulstrom and Mark Holland for their sterling work during the season.

Adjudicator, Reg Knight, praised the performances of several players of both teams, however, his selection of Mom, was Wayne Lamey for his batting of 39 runs, his bowling of two wickets for 19 and the splendid throw to run-out a Spence batsman.

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