In the second round of the Championship Cup, the 2nd XI travelled to Thornham CC, where Rob Meredith finally won a toss and decided that Clifton would bat first.
Openers Steve McManus and Ethan Kite walked to the crease for the second day in a row. The pair got off to an excellent start, with Steve reaching his half-century in the 25th over. Unfortunately, just one over later, his opening partner Ethan fell for a well-made 33, ending a solid partnership of 97.
With wickets in hand, Clifton looked to accelerate the run rate. Jordan Higham joined Steve at the crease but couldn’t really get going on a pitch where the ball barely rose above knee height all day. Steve, however, continued to bat brilliantly. Dan Jones (10) was the next to join him.
As Steve entered the 90s, tension built around the ground. On 99, heartbreak struck, he fell just one run short of a century he truly deserved. After Steve’s outstanding knock, Clifton were 168-3 with five overs remaining, aiming to push towards 200. Unfortunately, none of the incoming batters could find momentum, and Clifton finished on 187-6.
The job was far from done, it was now over to the bowlers to win the game for Clifton. For the second day running, Tom and Rob opened the bowling, and it took Rob just two balls to strike, putting Thornham at 1-1. Tom soon joined in, picking up the second wicket. A brief fightback from the home side was ended when Tom claimed his second wicket, leaving Thornham at 38-3 and the target of 188 looking distant.
Jordan Higham replaced Rob and bowled an excellent spell, taking 3-21 from his nine overs and swinging the game firmly in Clifton’s favour. Lewis replaced Tom and delivered a tidy spell, finishing with 1-12 from six overs. Dan Jones and Ethan Kite then wrapped things up, Dan took a wicket in his only over, and Ethan claimed two wickets in just three balls, leaving the hosts 115 runs short of their target.
Clifton now progress to the quarter-finals, where they will travel to Heywood on 29th June, looking to defend the cup and continue their journey.