Cricket: Hood shines, Dearden shows promise as Heywood thirds defeat Brooksbottom

Heywood Cricket Club, The Crimble

Heywood’s third team completed a perfect weekend for the Club with an easy success at Crimble on Sunday (7 July).

They followed up the first and second team victories the previous day with a 10-wicket defeat of Brooksbottom, with Matt Hood and 14-year-old Matt Dearden putting together an 88-run partnership.

The visitors, after being 17-6 at one stage, finally made 86-9 from their 40 overs thanks to a 41-run seventh-wicket stand between Richard Ernill and M Holt.

Ernill, who went in at No 5 in the batting order, saw it through to the end with an unbeaten 36 after Rick Purser, John Keyworth and Will Taylor had each claimed a couple of wickets.

But it did not look too taxing a target for the home side, and the Hood-Dearden combination made light work of the run chase.

Hood was the aggressor and made 64 from 62 balls, while Dearden showed commendable application in his unbeaten 21.

Another boost for the Heywod side was the noticeable improvement in the bowling after last week’s wayward display in the cup defeat at Worsley.

Brooksbottom 3rd X1

• N Maguire b Keyworth 0
• D Lyon b Keyworth 4
• M Richmond b Purser 1
• G Maguire b Purser 0
• R Ernill not out 36
• J Munir c Keyworth b Sullivan 4
• L Nally b Taylor 0
• M Holt c Sullivan b Taylor 20
• T Fielding-Monton b Pagett 3
• O Giffard c O’Neill b Dearden 1
• D Case not out 2
• Extras 15
• Total (for 9 wkts, 40 overs) 86
• Fall of wickets: 2-1, 5-2, 5-3, 9-4, 15-5, 17-6, 58-7, 65-8, 72-9
• Bowling: R Purser 6-3-3-2, J Keyworth 7-5-5-2, W Taylor 12-3-28-2, T Sullivan 5-2-11-1, T Pagett 6-3-9-1, E Clarkson 2-0-15-0, M Dearden 2-0-5-1

Heywood 3rd X1

• M Hood not out 64
• M Dearden not out 21
• Extras 3
• Total (for 0 wkts, 21.5 overs) 88
• Bowling: D Lyon 2-0-16-0, O Giffard 7-1-24-0, M Richmond 5-0-12-0, J Munir 4-0-24-0, T Fielding-Montin 3.5-0-11-0