Milnrow put in a good performance to beat Oldham in a rain-shortened game on Saturday. Milnrow were put into bat by the home side but had to rally after a bad start in which they lost pro James Price and overseas amateur Brandon Diplock in two balls. At 20 for 2, opening batsman Lee Crabtree and captain Max Power had to re-build and they both worked hard to score their runs. Crabtree, already having a very good season, again showed his developing skills at the top of the order by getting into his stride and scoring several boundaries. He hit 2 fours and 3 sixes as he got used to the difficult wicket and reached 66 before being caught by Fazil off Hussain. Power showed his experience and resilience in grafting out his runs, rotating the strike with skill and making sure he batted through the innings. His 41 not out was crucial in helping Milnrow to post 141 from their 25 overs. This looked a challenging total on the difficult wicket. Milnrow still needed to bowl well in order to defend their total and Brandon Diplock ensured that Oldham never really got near to it. The 19 year old from Zimbabwe bowled fluently and with skill to take six Oldham wickets. He bowled right through the Oldham innings, removed pro Hassan for a duck, and finished with figures of 6 for 56 from his 13 overs. Wilkinson picked up a couple of wickets and Milnrow ran out winners by 23 runs, as Oldham finished on 118 for 8 from their 25 overs. Milnrow's season is now gathering a little momentum with three victories in a row, including an excellent T20 victory at Middleton, and the Ladyhouse team will look to maintain their form with next weekend's games against Heyside and Werneth.
Contributed by
Colin Williamson
Chairman, Milnrow Cricket Club
