Milnrow CC v Heywood CC, Wood Cup Quarter Final

Milnrow shrugged off suggestions that they are a one man team, as they beat the unbeaten league leaders, Heywood, by 4 wickets on Sunday (17 June). This has set up a Wood Cup semi final encounter with Norden.

Nathan Sinkinson picked up the man of the match award after taking a stunning catch to dismiss Rob Slawson.

Milnrow's professional and captain, Babar Naeem, won the toss and invited Heywood to bat first on a green, damp wicket.

Heywood will be pleased with how they started their innings as Bobby Cross and Ross Zelem put on 28 runs for the first wicket before Zelem was bowled by Adam Robinson.

Aaron Brown made a solid start to his first team career, after being promoted from the second team following a string of good performances. He finished with figures of 0-21 of 5 overs after opening from the Rochdale end.

Cross and Heywood professional, Travis Townsend, took the score to 54 before Cross was caught behind off the bowling of Dean Lord.

Just as ex-Milnrow player Danny Pawson threatened to take the game away from Milnrow, following a confident start and consecutive boundaries off Lord, he danced down the wicket to Ali Muzaffer and was stumped by Max Power.

Much rested with Townsend if Heywood were to post a total near to the 200 mark but 4 runs later he scooped a delivery into the hands of Naeem to become the first of Declan Wilkinson's 3 wickets (3-31).

The drinks interval allowed Naeem to re-group his team, as Heywood promptly lost 5 wickets in the space of 8 runs to fall to 98-7.

The highlight of the game saw Nathan Sinkinson's sublime diving catch at mid-on as he clawed Rob Slawson's lofted drive out of the air whilst diving at full stretch to his right.

A last wicket partnership between Heywood's overseas amateur Hamish Patterson (17no) and stalward Chris Kaye yielded 22 runs as the visitors were bowled out for 135 with 3 overs remaining.

Milnrow's innings got off to a disastrous start as Babar Naeem was bowled by his namesake, Humza Naeem, without scoring.

Nathan Sinkinson and Alex Bartley put together the highest partnership of the game with 67 runs, to put the home team in the driving seat.

Townsend trapped Sinkinson lbw and caught Bartley off the bowling of Slawson as Milnrow reached 77-3 going into the final 20 overs to set up a tense finale.

Following the cheap dismissals of Mohammed Jehangir and Ali Muzaffer, Max Power and Steve Dryden put on 35 runs for the 6th wicket to take Milnrow to the brink of victory.

Dryden was dismissed lbw to another ex-Milnrow player, Joe Lovell, 7 runs short of the target, but Adam Robinson joined Power at the crease to see Milnrow home.

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