Cricket: Heywood 3rds win away

Heywood 3rds travelled to Astley and Tyldesley on Sunday 14 July in the baking sun to find a brownish scorched out field and a very dry wicket.

The toss was conducted and yet again the Heywood skipper lost out and was quickly sent out in the field to the moan and groans of his team mates as no one in their right minds wanted to bowl first.

The game got under way and with captain’s choice to rotate the bowling to three over spells to limit fatigue, all 10 players turned their arm in what proved to be a good move on the day.

With pressure building on the batsman and the constant changing of bowlers, it was no surprise that the team suppressed and limited the home outfit to 112 all out in just 30 overs, with the best figures going to young Keelan Nugent 2-0-3-2.

With a required total of 113 to win the openers of Joey O’Neill and Tom McGoldrick took centre stage and between them raced to a healthy partnership of 34 before O’Neill was caught in the field for 15.

Nugent then entered and exited early back to the dressing room for five.

Morgan Kay was next out to the crease and again started to build a partnership with McGoldrick, playing straight and timing the ball well. The pair wrapped things up in the 26 over with Kay on 27 and McGoldrick on a sublime 57.