Ashwell kick-start season with a win

ASHWELL kick-started their Cambs Senior league campaign on Saturday with a hard-fought four-wicket win in wet and blustery conditions at Girton. With the weather poor and the forecast even worse, a reduced overs match seemed to be in prospect, but Girton

ASHWELL kick-started their Cambs Senior league campaign on Saturday with a hard-fought four-wicket win in wet and blustery conditions at Girton.

With the weather poor and the forecast even worse, a reduced overs match seemed to be in prospect, but Girton were keen to play a full 45 overs-a-side game and this was just about completed at 8pm in the gathering gloom.

Girton elected to bat and soon had the Ashwell bowlers and fielders under pressure as Huxley (73) made light of the conditions.

Matt Skelding's new ball spell for Ashwell applied the brakes though, and the bowler also removed the dangerous Dyer & Robinson on his way to excellent figures of 2-38 from 12 overs.

Huxley and Thornton (41) gave Girton a strong platform to build on by taking the score to 146-2, before the introduction of Greg Tustain into the bowling attack left the Girton innings in tatters. Tustain took all of the next 7 wickets to fall in his remarkable effort of 7-40, and in tandem with Gary Simmons whose 9 overs cost just 28 runs and with some inspired fielding from Ashwell, Girton struggled on to a total of 192-9 from their allotted 45 overs.

Ashwell's reply began well, with the openers putting on 64 for the first wicket before Tim Moynihan was out for 30.

From 97-1, Ashwell wobbled to 105-4 before Matt Skelding (30) and Martin Talks (15) steadied the ship.

As the required run rate increased, the stage was set for debutant Mark Foster (16 not out) and man of the moment Greg Tustain (25 not out) to see Ashwell home at 193-6 with just seven balls of the match remaining.

Ashwell travel to Eversden for their next league fixture on Saturday.