Browse Sections

• Local football
• Local cricket
• Golf

Top Edge

7/ 5/2008

AFTER three games, Alderley Edge hit the top of the ECB Cheshire Premier League with a comprehensive win over Chester Boughton Hall, Saturday morning’s league leaders.

Edge fielded their strongest side of the season, with a debut for Lancashire’s Simon Marshall, but Chester were below full strength for this key fixture.

Edge won an important toss and elected to field on a pitch that looked like it would give some help to the quicker bowlers.

Alderley got off to a great start with Cheshire’s Warren Goodwin bowled by Jason Whittaker without scoring.

Chester struggled to contain the Edge attack from that point, and only Freddie Owen with 22, and Jim Gillson with 27, put up sustained resistance.

Whittaker took four wickets for the third match running and already looks to have been a signing of major importance to Edge.

Their other seamers, Sohail Rauf and Mark Walker, took two wickets each, with leg-spinner Marshall claiming two for nine off seven overs.

The Chester total gently subsided to 93 all out off just 34 overs, and without a single batting bonus point gained.

Although Edge looked strong favourites at tea, with only 94 to get in 76 overs, Barbadian speed merchant Darren Cruikshank, who had claimed seven wickets in his previous match, gave the visitors some hope.

However, Edge openers Mark Currie and Alan Day played him with some comfort and actually sped towards the target with seemingly no regard for the generous number of overs available.

Edge got home before the end of the 14th over, for the loss of only one wicket at the remarkably early time of 4.24pm.

The entire match took only 48 overs, the lowest number in Premier League history at the Moss Lane ground.

Next week Edge are away to reigning champions Oulton Park, who have not lost a single game in the last two seasons, and much will then be revealed about the strength of Edge’s own title challenge.