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Drawing more blanks

21/ 5/2008

ASHTON Cricket Club remain winless in this season’s Lake Garage CLL competition after defeats against Radcliffe and Clifton last weekend.

Facing Radcliffe in a rain-reduced game at Rayner Lane on Saturday, home skipper Zafar Zaman won the toss and elected to bowl first on a damp track.

However, his bowlers failed to make any inroads into the visitors’ line-up until the score had reached 52-0.  Once Zaman had claimed the wicket of Ash Gorsi (46) to leave Radcliffe on 136-3, it looked as if the visitors would have very little left in their locker.

The next five wickets only added another 46 runs as Ian Daniel claimed five wickets for the second time this season, but the damage had already been done as Ashton again showed they are one quality batsman short in their quest to chase Radcliffe’s 181-8.

Yet again, Ashton failed to establish a solid opening partnership in a match where they only hit 10 boundaries as opposed to Radcliffe’s 19, 11 of which came in Rob Farnworth’s innings of 65.

However, Ashton also failed to pick up the ones and twos required to keep the scoreboard ticking over as only Daniel looked able to take the game to Radcliffe. Once he was dismissed for 60, Ashton’s hopes effectively disappeared as they were all out for 151 with Kieran O’Connor the next highest scorer with 27.

The following day brought an eight-wicket defeat against a Clifton side inspired by an unbeaten century from visiting professional Adil Nisar.

Ashton skipper Zaman had few complaints about his side’s overall performance, although a lack of experience in the middle and lower order meant they were all out for 181, probably 40 runs shy of an achievable target.

Having seen Jon Selby (48) and Farhan Hussain (61) add 99 for the second wicket, Ashton lost wickets at regular intervals after reaching 130-3.

Zaman shuffled his bowlers intelligently but without success.

Morspin Abid made the breakthrough when Lord was caught behind, but Nisar and Aqil Mukhtar took Clifton to a position where either the target or Nisar’s century would come first.

Nisar brought his ton up with two runs required before Mukhtar gifted Abid his second wicket as Clifton eased to 184-2.