 A BREATHTAKING innings by teenager Peter Walters came to Prestwich's rescue in a remarkable one-wicket victory over rivals Roe Green. It would have taken more than jelly beans to disturb Walters' concentration at the crease as the talented youngster played an innings of exceptional maturity.
The 19-year-old struck an unbeaten 70 in a total of 121 for 9 to overhaul the home side's 119 target. Combining controlled aggression with intelligent play, Walters worked the strike with last man Phil Kyle, coming together with the score on 90 for 9 - 30 runs adrift. Having smashed three mighty sixes, including one over the pavilion roof, a textbook drive through extra cover brought whoops of delight from his Heys team-mates. The exhilarating triumph came just 24 hours after Prestwich came out on top in another thriller over neighbours Cheetham Hill. And hero Walters was in the think of the action again, top scoring with 50 not out in Prestwich's 220 for 5. However, an explosive fightback sparked by Atif Bajwa and Manny Khan took Hill from 134 for 7 and needing nine runs an over to the verge of victory, when 10 runs were required off just over four overs, with still two wickets in hand. But the influential Chris Humphreys bowled Khan with a yorker and instigated a run out to keep the Heys side in pole position at the top of the Lees Lancashire County League. For once, neither game was rain affected, and for entertainment value, both games would be contenders for matches of the season. Sunday's encounter with Roe Green always threatened to be a low-scoring affair as the low bounce and slow wicket did not seem inducive for fluent run-scoring. The quaint ground has always proved fruitful for Craig Duxbury, and this day was no different as his 20 overs conceded just 25 runs, with four wickets to bear and 12 maidens! However, a pivotal moment in the match came with Roe Green at 67 for 3 and homegrown pro Danny Jones at the wicket. He turned to take two runs to deep square leg only for the panther-like Chris Thomas to spear in a 50-yard throw, directly hitting the sole stump on view and Jones was run out with yards to spare. Malik top scored for the home side with 27, while Oliver Holt was back amongst the wickets with 2 for 12 and one wicket apiece for Kyle and Humphreys. Jones then made early incisions into the Prestwich line-up, bowling Mike Hudson and then removing Duxbury, Ian Walker and Steve Orrell with l.b.w. decisions which had the away side feeling very hard done by. Thomas caressed his first ball through the covers for four and in partnership with Walters, staged a mini-recovery, moving the total from 25 for 4 to 61 before he attempted to drive a short delivery from Julian Bentley and was caught by Jones at mid-off for 16. Skipper Steven Lorenzini and Humphreys then became l.b.w. victims number four and five - in successive balls - before Olly Holt stopped the rot until he was caught by Jones off Matt Wright for 10. When Andy Taylor sliced a drive to Flegg at gully, Kyle played the perfect stonewaller as Walters took up the mantle and - in the words of two seasoned sages - carved out the best amateur knock they had arguably ever seen. Saturday's clash with Cheetham Hill saw Prestwich rack up 220 on their home ground. Hudson departed early for 7, but by then the score was already on 32 after just four overs. Walker and Duxbury continued the stealthy progress, taking the score to 95 before the Prestwich pro was caught by Shebaz off Ali's bowling for 43. Walker made a competent 37 before he played round a delivery from Ali, and then Orrell had a lucky escape when he was bowled by Ali off a ball which was judged to have bounced at least twice, and he was reinstated. A partnership of 74 in 15 overs with Walters ended with Orrell run out for 46 and Thomas then pushed the score past the 200-mark with a quick 15 before he too was run out in the late-innings dash. Humphreys removed both Hill openers with just 3 on the board, and Taylor got in on the act with Lorenzini taking the catch to dismiss Anwar for 24. A major blow was then dished out by captain Lorenzini as his excellent fielding saw him run out the in-form Mirza for 19. A 65-run stand between pro Kutty and Abbas pushed the score to 129 but tight spells from Holt and Duxbury meant the required run rate rose quite sharply. Duxbury bowled Abbas for 23 and then Holt took the catch of the match to see the end of Kutty for 54 after he hammered a Duxbury full toss to deep-mid-on where the youngster took a fine diving catch inches from the ground. That merely paved the way for fireworks, firstly from Bajwa, who hit four towering sixes and raced to 39 in 21 balls until Humphreys took a catch low down at point off Taylor's bowling. Then Khan struck two sixes to get the visitors to within striking distance, only to be bowled by Humphreys for a run-a-ball 26 and when Shebaz and Riaz got caught up in a mid-wicket tangle, Humphreys' throw and Walker's smart glovework did the rest. SCORECARDS: Saturday - Prestwich won by 9 runs. Prestwich 1st XI: M Hudson c Bajwa b Kutty 7
C Duxbury c Shebaz b Ali 43
I Walker b Ali 37
S Orrell run out 46
P Walters not out 50
C Thomas run out 15
S Lorenzini not out 1
Extras 21
TOTAL (50 overs) 220 for 5 Kutty 15-2-63-1; Sheazad 6-0-32-0; Abbas 12-1-34-0; Ali 15-3-64-2; Anwar 2-0-14-0; Cheetham Hill 1st XI: M Ali b Humphreys 2
I Rathor c Holt b Humphreys 0
I Mirza run out 19
Y Anwar c Lorenzini b Taylor 24
V Kutty c Holt b Duxbury 54
G Abbas b Duxbury 23
F Sheazad l.b.w. b Kyle 2
M Khan b Humphreys 26
A Bajwa c Humphreys b Taylor 39
A Riaz not out 3
M Shebaz run out 1
Extras 18
TOTAL (47.2 overs) 211 for 9 Humphreys 12-3-46-3; Taylor 11.2-1-60-2; Duxbury 12-4-32-2; Holt 7-0-29-0; Kyle 5-0-34-1; Sunday - Prestwich won by 1 wicket. Roe Green 1st XI: J Kenyon b Duxbury 12
M Malik l.b.w. b Kyle 27
P Berry c Humphreys b Duxbury 4
D Jones run out 14
S Flegg b Duxbury 5
A Williams c Orrell b Duxbury 7
S Perrington b Holt 9
G Williams b Humphreys 14
A Collier b Holt 2
M Wright not out 8
J Bentley not out 0
Extras 17
TOTAL (50 overs) 119 for 9 Prestwich 1st XI: M Hudson b ones 2
C Duxbury l.b.w. b Jones 11
I Walker l.b.w. b Jones 0
S Orrell l.b.w. b Jones 4
P Walters not out 70
C Thomas c Jones b Bentley 16
S Lorenzini l.b.w. b Bentley 2
C Humphreys l.b.w. b Bentley 0
O Holt c Jones b Wright 10
A Taylor c Flegg b Wright 1
P Kyle not out 0
Extras 5
TOTAL (45.4 overs) 121 for 9 Jones 14-4-41-4; G Williams 8.4-3-27-0; Wright 14-6-34-2; Bentley 9-3-14-3;
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