Cricket: Double victory for Heywood Cricket Seconds to maintain unbeaten start

Heywood Cricket Club

Heywood Cricket Club Seconds team made it three victories out of three games at the start of the season with an impressive weekend double.

They saw off Oldham area side Moorside by five wickets at Crimble on Saturday to record their second successive win in Division Four East of the Greater Manchester League, then followed up the following day with a 15-run victory over Clifton in the first round of the Second XI Cup.

Chris Kaye was the stand-out performer against Moorside, who reached 75-2 and looked set to post a competitive total.

Kaye, partnering Lee Clarkson in an all-spin attack, made short work of the Moorside middle order and tail as they sent the visitors packing for 96. Kaye claimed 5-11 in eight overs and Clarkson took three wickets in four balls to end with 3-25.

When Heywood replied, they were struggling on 50-5 when Kaye joined Chris Booth in the middle to turn the tide.  They put together a sixth-wicket stand of 47, Booth anchoring the innings with 34 and Kaye also still there at the end on 20.

The Cup win over Clifton was based around outstanding individual performances by Rob Bennett and Rick Purser.

Bennett was the main protagonist in Heywood’s 180-4 off their 50 overs. He went in at number four to share a third-wicket stand of 93 with Mikey Witts, who made 22, and his impressive eventual score of 75 came off just 102 balls.

Olivia Thomas chipped in with an unbeaten 17 and the Heywood attack certainly had something to defend.

Enter Purser; the long-serving bowler bowled an immaculate line and length to decimate the Clifton top order with 4-10 from his allotted 10 overs.

That helped reduce Clifton to 62-6, and, although R Lord (70) and J Ainscough (58 not out) put together a seventh-wicket stand of 87, the real damage had been done and the visitors closed on 165-9.