Cricket: Heywood teams for the weekend

Heywood Cricket Club, The Crimble

Heywood will be hoping that James Kettleborough can continue carry his prolific batting form into Saturday’s latest crunch game at home to Moorside.

Heywood are new leaders of Division 1A of the Greater Manchester League by three points from Moorside, and Kettleborough has been one of the key components in their rise to the top of the table.

He has amassed 388 runs in just eight innings with a best score of 111 at an average of 55.4, and has formed a prolific opening partnership with Bobby Cross. The latter has 347 runs with a best of 124 for an average of 38.5.

Third in the batting averages in terms of runs scored is Jack Morley, with a best of 95 in a total of 248 at an average of 27.6.

Andy Dawson has also had a productive first half of the season with the bat, amassing 170 runs at an average of 34.

Morley is the team’s leading wicket-taker with 26 victims at an average of 10.8 runs each. Simon Dawson has 18 wickets at 18.6 apiece.

Professional Faisal Iqbal averages 28.4 in a total of 199 from 10 innings with the bat, and has taken 20 wickets at 14.9 runs apiece.

• Heywood 1st X1 (v Moorside, home, Saturday, 1pm): S Burrill (capt), W Hunt, R Cross, J Kettleborough, J Morley, A Dawson, S Dawson, M Witts, S Asildada, C Hilton, F Iqbal (pro).
• Heywood 2nd X1 (v Werneth, away, Saturday, 1.30pm): S Evans (capt), M Grogan, R Bennett, C Booth, L Grogan, J Mills, J Kaye, C Kaye, T Pagett, Z Baig, W Taylor.
• Heywood 3rd X1 (v Egerton, home, Sunday, 2pm): R Smethurst (capt), M Hood, M Dearden, J O’Neill, C McNally, E Clarkson, D Hilton, W Taylor, T Pagett, J Keyworth, R Purser. Reserve: J Carter.

* Statistics collated and provided by David Cross.