Riley Paterson is applauded off after his five wicket haul
Clifton were swept aside with ease as Heywood made it a 10 point weekend at Crimble.
Starring roles in the fourth act of what Heywood hope will ultimately be a championship-winning performance were overseas Riley Paterson, pro Travis Townsend and wicket-keeper/ batsman Danny Pawson.
Paterson found line, length and movement to finish with 5-27 to bowl out the visitors for 108 off 45.4 overs.
Then Townsend and Pawson, for the second day running, made light work of chasing down their target as Heywood cruised home with more than 25 overs and eight wickets remaining.
It was as dominant a performance as one could imagine, especially when you throw in Heywood’s sharpness in the field. Both Humza Naeem and Dale Latham, the club’s stand-out fielders so far this season, held superb diving catches, while captain Bobby Cross held a sharp one in the slips to ensure Clifton got away with nothing.
Cross had won the toss and as is his wont on what he expects to be a lively track, he inserted Clifton.
It took Paterson and Naeem a bit of time to find the range, but the Australian was first to find his best form and had young Adam Holt caught behind by Pawson for 13 with the score on 26.
Naeem then struck when pro Cameron Murray played a dreadful shot to a high full toss and was well held by a sprawling Latham. From here on in, Clifton were in trouble.
Paterson picked up Morris, again caught by Pawson to further emphasise the good line he was bowling, before Andy Dawson had overseas Mason caught by Chris Kaye at gully for his first wicket of the season.
Former Heywood favourite Steve Cheetham tried to steady the ship and indeed played nicely for his 23, but he fell to a slack shot to Paterson.
Kaye picked up the wicket of Dorsey, brilliantly held by Naeem, and Paterson cleaned up the tail to bowl out Clifton and set up a five point victory. In between all this, Townsend again showed his worth with the ball to take 2-23 off his 12 overs to follow up his parsimonious, yet cruelly unremarked upon, by this author at least, spell from the previous day.
Cheetham bowled with pace as he tried to inspire his side, and hopes were high when he dismissed Cross, caught behind, for four. This only brought in Townsend, who signalled that he was in the mood for runs with a thrilling pull and then a scintillating cover drive off Cheetham.
Zelem then fell to another snorter from Cheetham but Pawson joined Townsend and the pair carried on where they left off the previous day.
Sure, the odd one from Cheetham and Greg Jennings caused flutters, but Cheetham bowled too short and allowed Townsend in particular to smash him backward of square on the leg side.
Townsend brought up his 50 – “substance over style”, as he partly and unfairly described it – before Pawson finished proceedings by smashing Jennings for four, and again the pair walked off to great applause.
It means Heywood have four wins out of four completed games. What a great start to what could be a great season.
CLIFTON
C Murray c Latham b Naeem 10
A Holt c Pawson b Paterson 13
L Mason c Kaye b Dawson 26
D Morris c Pawson b Paterson 2
T Derbyshire c Pawson b Townsend 1
S Cheetham c Hunt b Paterson 23
J Evans c Cross b Townsend 9
L Dorsey c Naeem b Kaye 0
A Lord c Latham b Paterson 4
D Dunn c Pawson b Paterson 2
G Jennings not out 1
Extras 17
Total (45.4 overs) 108
Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-26, 3-31, 4-54, 5-62, 6-90, 7-98, 8-100, 9-103, 10-108
Bowling: Paterson 10.4-3-27-5, Naeem 7-1-20-1, Dawson 6-0-16-1, Townsend 12-4-23-2, Kaye 10-2-22-1
HEYWOOD
R Cross c Dorsey b Cheetham 4
R Zelem c Dorsey b Cheetham 11
T Townsend not out 51
D Pawson not out 37
Extras 8
Total (for 2 wkts, 24.1 overs) 111
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-39
Bowling: Cheetham 12-1-52-2, Jennings 9.1-2-39-0, Murray 3-0-16-0
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