DSL punish Heywood for sloppy finish with bat

Heywood Cricket Club

Heywood's two-wicket defeat by Denton St Lawrence in the quarter-final of the Derek Kay Per-Fit First XI Cup looks, on paper, a close-run affair but it was an accomplished performance by DSL who controlled a 172 run chase comfortably and only wobbled in the dying embers of the game, losing three wickets when needing just three runs for victory.

Heywood’s total of 171 was certainly something to defend, with professional Danny Pawson the backbone of the batting performance with a fine 69.

Yet what seemed a possible score of between 180 and 200 disintegrated as the last five wickets fell for 13 runs, leaving 16 balls unused.

That was to prove crucial in the long run as DSL, thanks to an excellent second-wicket stand of 106 between opener Andy Hawley and professional Scott Kirwin, laid the platform for their eventual victory.

Visiting professional Kirwin was measured in his contribution of 63 before being unluckily stumped, and a gritty Hawley ground out his runs and showed the value of not giving his wicket away.

When both fell within four runs of each other, to leave the Saints on 115-3, there was a light for Heywood.

Matt Hawley later went with the total 129 and Nathan Keoh at 149, yet at 169-5 and with plenty of balls left there seemed only one inevitable conclusion, but opening bowlers Simon Dawson and Chris Humphreys returned to the attack to ensure a dramatic finish, Dawson bowling Jordan Williams then Humphreys claiming the scalps of Alex Marsh and Jodie Clough.

It was left to skipper Ben Tighe to finally administer the last rites with a boundary off Dawson, and DSL finally got through with 10 balls to spare.

Heywood

R Cross c Clough b O’Reilly 31
J Borg c Marsh b Kirwin 4
D Pawson c Tighe b Kirwin 69
D Humphreys run out 7
L Mason lbw b Keoh 22
A Dawson c Kirwin b O’Reilly 2
S Burrill c Clough b Kirwin 8
J Lovell lbw b Kirwin 0
S Dawson b Tinning 0
C Humphreys not out 3
M Grogan lbw b Tinning 4
Extras 21
Total (47.2 overs) 171
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-66, 3-85, 4-122, 5-127, 6-158, 7-158, 8-163, 9-163, 10-171
Bowling: S Kirwin 9-0-24-4, B Tighe 7-1-23-0, J Williams 10-3-23-0, N Keoh 8-2-30-1, K O’Reilly 10-1-51-2, J Tinning 3-2-18-2

Denton St Lawrence

A Hawley b Pawson 25
M Dillnut b Chris Humphreys 4
S Kirwin st Borg b Lovell 63
M Hawley lbw b Pawson 7
N Keoh b Pawson 15
J Williams b S Dawson 10
A Marsh b C Humphreys 8
B Tighe not out 4
J Clough lbw b C Humphreys 0
J Tinning not out 0
Extras 37
Total (for 8 wkts, 48.2 overs) 173
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-111, 3-115, 4-129, 5-149, 6-169, 7-169, 8-189
Bowling: S Dawson 9-2-30-1, C Humphreys 9-3-21-3, D Humphreys 3-0-15-0, A Dawson 10-0-38-0, D Pawson 10-2-27-3, J Lovell 7-0-36-1