We blew a golden chance on Saturday to virtually wrap up promotion to the Cheshire League first division. Lindow, our only real rivals for the second spot behind Winnington Park, had their match at Cholmondeley abandoned because of rain. So, a win at relegation- threatened Mere would have given us a 17-point lead over the other contenders with only three games left. And we should have got it. All we needed to do was score 130 at under four an over to give us our sixth successive win. Instead, we were bowled out for 97 inside 31 overs, losing our last five wickets for only 37 runs. We were left with just four bowling points, meaning our lead over Lindow was cut to one…..Admittedly, we had nine overs docked under the league’s curious rain break rules which penalise the side batting second, but even then the run rate should not have been a problem. We were playing a team that had won only three games this season and one we had wiped out at home. We were to be undone by some brittle batting, only three players managing double figures. We did suffer one strange dismissal (Rob Taylor caught at slip via pad, back of bat and keeper) and Tommy Rolph was given out caught off his chest while Dave Garner insisted only air had touched his bat when adjudged caught at the wicket. It also didn’t help that skipper Alex Barber, having to leave early because of a family wedding, opened with Rolph and soon departed for three, depriving us of his experience in the middle order.  Rob Booker, Ned Kelly and Pat Hulley were the only three who could hold their heads up after this disappointing performance. For the second time in successive weeks, Rob held us together with a mixture of defiance and judicious aggression but the necessary support was not good enough. When he and Kelly got together at 18-4, they did bring some much-needed sense to the proceedings. And Mere’s fragile belief, lifted by those four cheap wickets, started draining and if, after a stand of 44, Ned hadn’t suffered a rush of blood, they looked capable of taking us to victory.  Ben Allcock, holing out to a full toss, quickly followed (70-6) Kelly and we were staring down the barrel. Then Hulley, playing only his second game, started as if he would make nonsense of the preceding chaos. The 16-year-old almost looked comfortable, playing some stylish shots and again we had hope. Then, after making eight, he was beaten by a smart throw while taking a sharp run—but he had underlined his promise. We were 85-7 and tottering. Billy Flattley joined Rob who, 10 runs later, ended his spirited resistance on 38 with a tame poked catch and with him gone so were we.
Earlier, Barber, Paul Garner and Kelly had seemingly bowled us into a good position, restricting Mere to 129-8. Every victim was bowled apart from one, brilliantly caught by Rob Taylor. But we were the ones caught out in the end……
Scores: Mere 129-8(45 overs; Williams 33; Barber 4-25, P Garner 2-46, Kelly 2-34). Romiley 97(30.4 overs; R Booker 38; Clarke 5-21).