Alderley Edge travelled to league leaders Hyde last Saturday in the Cheshire Premier League hoping to get a good haul of points, whatever the result.
They ended up very nearly beating the home side in an exciting finish that could have yielded Edge an important 24 points in their quest to avoid relegation.
After winning the toss it was always going to be an easy decision for Edge to bat first and try and take maximum batting points from a fixture on probably the smallest ground in the Premier League.
Mark Currie provided a startling opening as he dispatched the home side's bowling for 17 off the first 5 balls he faced before being out, somewhat unluckily, for a whirlwind 31. From this point Edge's innings went into a steep decline as 7 wickets fell for just 89 runs.
A maiden 50 from Edge number 5 Adam Wildig pulled the innings round as they started to rebuild a reasonable total. A very useful 25 from Ollie Wildig left Edge at 157 for 9 and looking as though they would fold, before they had used up their overs for a below par total.
However, Edge number 10, Tom Atkinson, played his best ever innings for the visitors with a sound 36 not out, and number 11 Mark Warnes made 12 not out, as Edge closed on a respectable 197 for 9 off 55 overs.
A marathon spell of 28 unbroken overs from now fully fit captain Jason Whittaker, and an object lesson in line and length from Edge's other opener, Tom Atkinson, yielded 9 Hyde wickets between them after tea, as the home side were reduced to 157 for 9 with 5 overs remaining in the match.
Alderley's bottom of the table position against Hyde's top position was difficult to credit with Edge getting so near to completing an unlikely victory.
Hyde eventually held out to deny the away side an important win but Edge took the overall honours from this match as they took 15 points to Hyde's 10 and could be well satisfied with their spirited efforts from what had looked like a losing position during their innings.
Next Saturday Edge face the new league leaders Chester at home, another match in which they are looking to try and claw their way off the bottom of the table with 8 matches still left to play.
Final score in the Cheshire Premier League: Alderley Edge 197-9, Hyde 178-9. Draw.
This is a member post by Mike Day.
