Walshaw seal title
8:40am Tuesday 8th September 2009 in Sport
CRICKET: WALSHAW completed their dominance of the Bolton Association by wrapping up their first league title for four years with a game to go.
The Bury side, who have led the league for most of the season, became champions with a typically powerful performance against local rivals Elton.
After winning five titles in seven seasons, the Sycamore Road men went through a transitional period for the next three years while they blooded talented youngsters and rebuilt.
The return of Jonathan Fielding as pro played a key part in this season’s return to the top, but it was captain Rob Faulkner — the lynchpin of the side for the last decade — who played the starring role on Sunday by hitting an unbeaten 105 as Walshaw posted 280-2, Jamie Pilling hitting 64, Fielding 33 and Gavin Nichol 41 not out.
Elton had to face at least 24 overs for a result to be achieved and the game continued through rain before the visitors finished on 123-4 after 26 overs, 70 runs short of the victory mark. Mike Hall top scored for Elton with 34.
Only one other game beat the weather to reach a conclusion, and it could not have produced a more thrilling finale.
Astley and Tyldesley needed 22 runs off the last over to beat visitors Standish and the team which started the day second bottom needed all six balls to get them.
David Harrison was the hero scoring all of them with three sixes and two 2s including the winning runs off the last ball of the day.
Standish opened with 157-8 with Tony Kelly scoring 51 and Jimmy Cutt taking 3-47.
Cutt then shone with the bat as he scored 52 and Chris Bullock added 22 to lay the foundation for Harrison to produce his heroics which saw him score a total of 37 after coming on with four overs to go.
Sam Heeley took 3-49 and David Bowden 3-77 for Standish.
There was no play at all in the games between Adlington and Daisy Hill and Edgworth and Little Hulton while the matches between Darcy Lever and Blackrod, Golborne and Atherton and Spring View and Flixton all fell foul of the weather in the second innings before enough overs had been bowled to force a result.
The outstanding performance of the day came from pro Andy Griffiths who scored 148 of Spring View’s 298-5 before Flixton hit 77-0 from 11 overs, pro Rudi Kieser hitting 60 not out.
Paul Farrar scored 42 of Golborne’s 120 (Daniel Salpietro 4-58, Josh Gilluley 3-14) before Atherton replied with 52-2 off 14 overs.
Mo Fazil hit 46 of Blackrod’s 137 before Darcy managed 20-1 towards their revised target of 112 before the rain.
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