Romiley lost their first Meller Braggins Cheshire League game in three months— and stretched their Division 3 lead to 14 points over Woodford. How was it done? Skipper Alex Barber gambled with collective pneumonia in a downpour, keeping his saturated side in the field against Stretton, reasoning the club would take more points if they resisted an easy call to give in to the weather. It paid off. Although beaten by five wickets, we took 13 points while Woodford’s game at Cheadle Ladybridge was abandoned, giving them only seven. It was a badly needed bonus for a side hung over from their first defeat since Disley beat us at Birch Vale Drive in May. But the loss wasn’t entirely surprising.  We were stretched too far by holiday calls and other absences. Billy Flattley, our match winner at Stretton, Jack Kelly, Andy Bashford and Jonny Holt were all missing from the usual line-up. It meant an unexpected debut for another of our bright Under-18 side, Eddie Mallinson, and a call-up out of semi-retirement for steward Dave Shenton. But the match still hinged on two crucial stages.  First, was our loss of scoring momentum, adding only 41 runs in the last eight overs when we might have expected double. And, second, Stretton’s top scorers, Pollard and Crissold, gave us chances we couldn’t take to get rid of them – and we suffered…. Rick Holt and Tommy Rolph gave us our now usual good start, both breaching the 600-run mark for the season. They put on 79, their seventh 50-plus partnership of the campaign, before Rolph (30) mistimed a hook. Chris Coupes, unfortunately run out for seven and Ben Allcock(2) dabbed a cut to slip, leaving us 104-3.Then in came Neil Ryan who firmly helped get us back on track, putting on 64 with Rick before the opener departed with his first ton of the season so near. He put the side’s need to accelerate before his own interests, finally holing out at long off. His 74-minute 89 included 14 fours and two sixes. At that stage, we were 173 but then stalled, adding only 10 more in the last four overs, while losing Ryan(30), Stuey Milne(4) and Barber(1). That failure to build didn’t look like being costly when Rolph brilliantly ran out M.Crichley(5), swooping in from mid on to hit the stumps. And it looked good for us when, at 48, Paul Garner held on to Mather’s fiercely hit return and Coupes made a difficult low slip catch look easy to take care of Garrod(17) off Barber. But that let in Ben Crissold, the big Aussie who had hit a ton off us in the first game. He obviously had good memories of us. His first scoring shot was a six and Pollard, dropped off Garner early on, drew strength from his ultra confident partner, almost matching him shot for shot. Milne nearly pulled off a stunning catch off his first ball when Crissold savagely hit the ball back at him, but for all Barber’s valiant efforts – he bowled through the innings—we could not stifle him. They put on 83 in 11 overs, lifting Stretton‘s run rate above the required rate, before Milne finally got one through the Aussie’s guard. His 39 included six boundaries, three of them sixes. Stretton were left to score 53 for victory at little more than four an over. Our only chance was to bowl them out, but with the rain reducing the ball to a bar of soap, we couldn’t do it. Mallinson crowned an impressive fielding stint by catching Flanagan(8) off Milne,  but Pollard and Malik(14no) saw them through with 14 balls to spare.
Scores: Romiley 183-7(45 overs; R.Holt 89). Stretton 185-5(42.4 overs; Pollard 68no; Milne 2-41, Garner 1-42, Barber 1-78)