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Dukinfield 86ao Woodhouses 87-4

7/ 5/2008

AUSTRALIAN Luke Swards was again the star as Woodhouses continued their fine start to the season by winning at Dukinfield on Saturday.

The all-rounder followed his 5-23 in the first game with 5-29 as Dukinfield were dismissed for only 86.

The Higher King Street side collapsed after skipper David Gandy and Steve Coulding had batted confidently in a stand which took the score to 50-1 after 12 overs.

Without addition, however, Gandy was lbw to Sloan after hitting five boundaries in his assured 25.

Although wickets then fell regularly at the other end, Coulding continued to defy the attack and he made an excellent 35 including three fours before he was bowled by Chris Atherton to make it 79-6.

Atherton claimed three more victims, ending with 4-19, as the final four wickets fell for seven runs. Swards finished his accurate 13-over stint with a 4-6 spell in five overs.

Making his debut at Higher King Street, Dukinfield’s new paid man Adam Robinson, who has joined the club from Barkisland in the Huddersfield League, impressed with a lively and tidy spell when Woodhouses replied.

He removed experienced openers Mike Cassidy and Phil Sutcliffe, and when Imran Ditta took a superb catch on the mid-wicket boundary off Simon Collins to send back Alan Starmer, the visitors were in the uneasy position of 29-3.

They recovered thanks to a flurry of boundaries from James Clarke whose 40 took them to 75 before he was caught by Robert Pringle off Ian Ryder.

Atherton and Swards then steered the side to victory without further loss despite Robinson bowling unchanged for 13 overs and finishing with figures of 2-26.