That’s a wrap

The final action of the 2024 cricket season was a 3XI game up at Littleborough Lakeside in the Sunday Premier Division.

Nick Carter’s Thirds, deputised by Karl West on this occassion, and already winners of the Sunday Premier Cup last month, went into this game safe in the division for another season.

The game, played with the novel prospect of a set of rugby posts to negotiate in the middle of the outfield, was won by the home side, thanks mostly to Kamran Butt’s big-hitting 126, consisting of 6 fours and 14 sixes, in a 244 total.

Prestwich did make a good fist of their reply though, Sam Regan (72) and Leo Michaelovitz’s (76*) excellent 131-run partnership, the third highest for the club this season, the main talking point of the innings.

But as the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped and the rains rolled in, Prestwich ran out of overs 63 runs shy of their target.

In the end the Thirds finished in 7th place with 7 wins, 7 losses and 4 abandonments from their 18 games. But with just 7 points seperating the 5 mid-positioned teams in the 10 club table, a win today would have seen the team finish up in 4th which just shows how tight the Sunday Premier Division was this year.

• Littleborough Lakeside 2XI 244ao (Sajid 3-51); Prestwich 3XI 181-6 (Michaelovitz 76*, Regan 72)

201 days and counting….