Match Report

It was a different story for the seconds on Sunday, as they faced Bury in a vain attempt to defend ownership of the 2nd XI Championship Cup. It was a highly competitive game that swung both ways in overcast conditions. 

After being inserted, Bury's bowlers made the most of some tricky batting conditions on a wicket that seemed to ease in the second innings (but we would say that wouldn't we)? Steve Mac (38) and Dan Jones (39) got starts but never looked comfortable on the unpredictable surface. Later, skipper Liam (27no) batted well around the tail to post what looked a challenging 159 all out with the added disappointment of committing the cardinal sin of failing to use up all the overs. 

The Bury openers rode their luck with a plethora of play and miss shots, but gradually got a grip of the conditions in posting a match winning partnership of 73. Back came the visitors though with quick run of wickets that saw four fall for just eighteen runs. The remainder of the batsmen were made to grind out every single run, but despite two stunning run outs and some excellent catching, none of the bowlers looked unplayable to be fair and that opening partnership eventually made it a bridge too far for Dorse's battlers, with the hosts running out winners by three wickets.