GARGOYLES GO TO TOWN AGAIN

A strong all round bowling performance gave Alstonefield St. Peter’s Cricket Club the advantage in Sunday’s match at Ashbourne Cricket Club.  Fielding first, the Gargoyles’ attack led by Phil Bagshaw, extracted bounce and pace from the pitch and he soon sent one of the opening batsmen back to the pavilion. Weire and Tomkinson then put on 45 runs for the second wicket, without threatening to take the game away. It was in the middle of the innings where the Gargoyles’ bowlers turned the screw. John Salt bowled his 7 overs for a miserly 15 runs and man of the match Sunny Angris took 4 wickets for 15 in a welcome return to form. Backed up by some competent catching, the bowlers had dismissed Ashbourne for 118 in 32 overs, an eminently achievable target.

Or so it seemed. Openers Shotton and Handscombe found it difficult to score at the required rate and even the in form Phil Bagshaw struggled to connect, although he did make 18 valuable runs. Mark Wright was the only batsman to build an innings and look at ease, eventually making 34 and setting up the joyful Alan Hayes to hit the winning runs in another notable victory.