By Mike Latham
Twenty20 games offer the cricketing enthusiast many opportunities to visit grounds that might not be on their agenda for a Saturday league game.
That was the case for me when I visited Westleigh CC for the GMCL Championship T20 quarter final against Micklehurst on Tuesday 26 July.
Westleigh CC have quietly established themselves in the Greater Manchester Cricket League since becoming founder members in 2016, after leaving the Bolton & District Association. Their First XI currently competes in the Championship, which is level three of the league’s structure.
Long time members of the now defunct Saddleworth League, Micklehurst joined the GMCL after brief stays in the now defunct Pennine League, and the Huddersfield League.
It was a remarkable effort by the visitors to get to Leigh in rush hour traffic from Saddleworth in time for a 6pm start.
The Westleigh ground is known as the Pingot and is approached via a narrow track off Firs Lane close to the main Atherleigh by-pass in Leigh, just half a mile or so from Leigh Sports Village.
Behind the far end of the ground the banking rises sharply and behind the fence is the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
The Leeds Liverpool Canal runs behind the Westleigh ground
The ground is a green oasis in the midst of a built-up area and obviously lovingly kept, as it was in immaculate condition on a sunny evening.
Though Leigh Cricket Club are the premier club in the town, with a great set-up and a First XI that competes in the Premier Division of the Liverpool & District Competition, Westleigh CC have obviously made great strides as well.
The GMCL has grown considerably since its formation and has attracted many clubs from a wide geographical area. Next season they will be further strengthened by two of the Bolton League’s most established clubs, Horwich RMI and Westhoughton who will both doubtless soon be competing for major honours.
Not so long ago there were two strong leagues in the Bolton area, the League and the Association, which merged in time for the 2016 season when they had 21 member clubs. Now that number is down to around 11 or 12. Greenmount are in the Lancashire League after a brief stay in the GMCL, Standish joined the Palace Shield and the others the GMCL.
The GMCL has adopted a CricHQ system for league administration and results rather than the Play Cricket app that most leagues have. Though it takes some getting used to, it’s a very informative system and live scoring throughout the quarterfinal added to the enjoyment for the spectator.
Westleigh, batting first, relied upon a remarkable performance by their opening bat Nadeera Adhikari for setting a competitive total of 137. He carried his bat for an unbeaten 84 off 54 balls, with the next highest score being 8. Micklehurst bowled and fielded tightly but the left-handed Adhikari escaped the shackles to hit eight fours and five huge sixes.
Nadeera Adhikari hits one of his five sixes
The visitors had a big hitting left hander of their own in Rizwan Hussain who looked capable of winning the game on his own. He had smashed his way to 53 off 27 balls including seven fours and three sixes when he chanced his arm once too many times and was caught in the deep.
Westleigh’s bowling and fielding stepped up a notch or two in the tense closing stages and they finally prevailed by just three runs when the visitors’ innings closed on 134 for 8 in the gloaming just after twenty past nine.
A glorious sunny evening at the Pingot
One of their outstanding fielders was the ex-Leigh Centurions halfback Josh Ward, who now concentrates on cricket and recently scored 171 in a second team game.
Josh became one of the youngest players in Leigh’s history when he made his debut against Avignon in 2012, 14 days short of his 17th birthday. He later spent two seasons with Barrow, played for Gloucestershire All Golds, in the National Conference for Leigh Miners and spent three years playing country rugby in Australia.
He kept his nerve off the game’s penultimate ball, brilliantly fielding what looked like a nailed on shot for four right on the boundary and restricting the visitors to a single.
Josh Ward (number 5) celebrates Westleigh’s win with his teammates
It was a compelling game to watch that kept interest to the last ball, and both sides are to be commended for the competitive but sporting nature of the contest, watched intently by the spectators gathered in front of the club house.
As you can probably tell, I greatly enjoyed my evening in Westleigh and shall follow their progress keenly.
No comments:
Post a Comment