Cheap wickets prove Second XI's undoing

VISITORS Grappenhall won a very useful toss against Macclesfield Second XI on a very hot day and chose to bat first.

- JON CURWEN

After a quiet few overs as the opening batsmen steadily accumulated runs, the game opened up with a triple breakthrough with the score on 26.

Firstly Ben Farmer trapped McKenna lbw, a decision that was hardly in doubt but which took an age to be given.

In the next over Will Jennings clean bowled Birch and Roberts without a run being added and Macc had all the momentum at 26-3.

Grappenhall steadied themselves somewhat as the opening bowlers took a deserved rest in the heat but only added another 28 runs before Otis Palmes, in his first bowling spell after a long injury break, bowled Rowlands for 14.

Pennington was next to go as Ben Curwen got a full-length delivery to swing into the pads before deflecting into the stumps.

The score was now 63-5 and Macc were firmly on top. Things changed as Tully joined the number three Knowles.

While Knowles mainly blocked, Tully played some aggressive shots and, helped by survival of two very close lbw shouts, made 36 before edging to keeper George Montaldo off the returning Jennings making it 126-6. Jennings took his fourth wicket soon after, bowling Marrable-Wright and it looked like Macc would wrap up the tail.

It wasn't to be as Knowles, who had batted through the innings without scoring from many balls began to play more shots.

He was eventually caught by Jennings for 44 off Curwen and, with an unbeaten 28 by Wright, he had helped Grappenhall to scramble up to 173-8 from their 50 overs.

On a day with a flat pitch and fast outfield, 173 seemed a below par score but things looked far more difficult for the home side as both Leo Burns and Marcus Fisher edged behind off Pennington early on leaving the score a tricky 27-2.