PRESTWICH shrugged aside the rainswept conditions to mop up a hat-trick of victories. High-flying Denton St Lawrence (DSL) were blown away in successive days – in the league and in the cup – which was preceded by a comfortable win for the Heys men over Blackrod in the National Knockout.
But it was the DSL double whammy, gained in contrasting circumstances, which has put the spring in the Prestwich step.
Spin bowler Andy Bradley was in mesmerising form, racking up two five-wicket hauls, which resulted in combined weekend figures of 12 for 66.
Indeed, it was Bradley’s ability to get bounce as well as turn on a damp wicket which had the visitors in turmoil when the sides met for their league encounter on Saturday.
He ripped out five of the six top order batsmen as DSL slumped to 53 for 7, including bowling Mirza for 27 and having Anwar caught one-handed at short leg for 11 by a lunging Steve Orrell.
Only Remers gave any late resistance but was undone by the pace of Danny Jones for 38 and the total petered out at 110, Jones finishing with 3 for 39 and giving Bradley the remarkable return of 22 overs, 12 maidens, 7 wickets for 37 runs.
Two gritty partnerships grounded out success for Prestwich as Matt Wiley and captain Steven Lorenzini came together on 36 for 3 and doubled the score before Wiley was caught off Mirza’s probing bowling for 35.
A 26-run stand between Lorenzini and James Wharmby put them in sight of victory before Wharmby was bowled for 15, but Lorenzini remained resilient on 19 as Dave Taylor struck the winning four through cover.
On Sunday, it was the same venue for the same two sides, but this time in the Walkden Cup.
And with the wicket hit by overnight rain, the game was reduced to 35 overs.
Yet the pitch defied its patchy appearance by becoming a hotbed for runs as almost 450 runs were procured.
Prestwich were invited to bat and ran riot in the early overs as professional Danny Jones cracked 41 off 44 balls in tandem with Orrell which saw the duo rattle up 77 in just 11 overs.
Mirza claimed Jones’s scalp – the first of his four victims – but that did not halt the run flow as Wiley continued in the same vein.
He made 36 in 27 balls before lashing out and missing a straight one. Orrell reached his third half century of the season, striking four boundaries and four sixes in his 54, before Mirza again hit the stumps.
Wharmby made 16 before being run out but Lorenzini’s unbeaten 36 in 32 balls, and Chris Thomas’s 24 off just 15 balls ensured the momentum didn’t dip and an imposing target of 234 for 6 was set.
In contrast to 24 hours earlier, DSL got off to a flyer, hitting the 50-mark without loss in their 10th over.
Teenager Tom Gibson made the vital breakthrough, bowling Anwar for 21, but Mirza and Adam Hawley staged a fruitful partnership of 80 which kept DSL well in the hunt.
Sam Holden then induced Mirza to sky the ball back to him for 32 and when Hawley was fourth man out for 77, made off 85 balls, DSL were on 146 for 4. Chris Jones grabbed the key wicket of Hawley with a competent catch on the point boundary by Thomas.
Stringer blasted a quick 20 and Welsh 24, but Danny Jones picked up two wickets while Bradley again worked his magic to take 5 for 29 in his seven-over allotment, and DSL’s valiant reply fell 21 runs short.
* An unbeaten half century from Sam Holden was the cornerstone of Prestwich’s five-wicket defeat of Blackrod last Friday night, after the visitors had been dismissed for 84 the night before.
* Prestwich, who lie in joint second place in the Lees Lancashire County League, face a trip to Flowery Field on Saturday before a home clash with Glossop on Sunday.
