In an exciting 2nd XI Championship Cup clash, Clifton CC 2ndXI, the defending champions, secured a convincing victory over Tottington St. Johns CC 2nd XI, winning by 7 wickets at Tottington on Sunday.
Tottington St. Johns, having won the toss, opted to bat first, but were quickly put under pressure by the Clifton bowlers. The innings began with early wickets, leaving Tottington at 22-2. However, A. Roughley led the charge with a magnificent innings of 112 not out from 101 balls, supported by A. James Roughley JNR, who made a patient 47 not out from 107 balls. The pair combined to form a strong partnership.
Clifton’s bowlers worked hard throughout the innings, with Rob Meredith showing great control, finishing with 0-8 from 7 overs, while Dan Jones, Lewis Keogh, and Tom Worthington all contributed, though none could break the partnership. Despite the excellent efforts from the bowling attack, Tottington managed to finish strongly, setting a competitive target of 196.
In response, Clifton’s chase was led by a solid performance from Ethan Kite, who played a key role with the bat, scoring 57 from 75 balls. Alongside him, Dan Jones was the mainstay of the chase, producing a well-paced knock of 62 not out from 64 balls, guiding the team steadily towards the target. Jack Barton also made a useful contribution with 28 from 29 balls, keeping the momentum going.
Clifton's batsmen were determined to make light work of the chase, and despite some tight bowling from Tottington, they kept their composure. The best efforts of K. Schofield (1-29) and A. Roughley (1-41)couldn't prevent Clifton from getting closer to the target. S. Marsh and S. Wooley were also unable to stem the flow of runs, as Clifton’s batsmen carried their side to a successful chase.
Clifton CC 2nd XI reached 196-3 in 39 overs, sealing the win with 7 wickets remaining and ensuring they advanced further in the competition as defending champions.