Slawson Five For Just Can’t Get Heywood Five Points
Heywood 199-6 (Cross 86no, Agathangelou 59) Werneth 128-9 (Slawson 5-59) Heywood won by 71 runs
Rob Slawson’s first five-wicket haul of the season helped Heywood to a four-point win at Werneth – and just failed to secure the maximum reward.
Werneth were left teetering on 128-9 in reply to Heywood’s 199-6, as their last pair survived the final five overs in a match reduced to 40-overs-per-side.
But it was still another dominant performance by Bobby Cross and his men as they prepare for the final push of the Central Lancashire League season.
Heywood’s total, after winning the toss, was built around fine contributions from professional Andrea Agathangelou and Cross himself. Aggers maintained his rich vein of form, which has seen him amass centuries in three of his four previous CLL innings, with a rapid 59.
He lost Danny Pawson, who chipped a catch to square leg, with the total on 42. But he continued to play positively when joined by Ross Zelem and looked capable of another three-figure contribution. Then, when on 59 made out of 76 in the 15th over, a mental aberration cost him his wicket.
The professional tried his favourite dink shot off Joe Taylor past the wicketkeeper and was lucky to see the ball just miss his off stump. That did not deter him from trying the same shot the next ball, however, and he was bowled round his legs.
The skipper was soon in his stride and took toll of the Werneth attack, anchoring the innings to such an extent that his unbeaten 82 came out of the next 123 runs.
He lost Ross Zelem, caught at mid-wicket for a classy contribution of 27, Wes Hunt caught and bowled, Lee Grogan run out and Adam Fawcett caught.
But Cross continued to play positively and was still there at the end of the 40 overs, making sure Heywood’s total was a daunting one on a slow wicket.
Werneth never really threatened to get to grips with a run chase, despite surviving a testing new ball spell from Hamish Paterson and Humza Naeem.
John Slater and Matt Taylor struggled to put on 25 for the first wicket but, once Slater was run-out, the rot set in.
Lee Grogan and Slawson replaced the opening bowlers and quickly made breakthroughs. Slawson had Taylor caught steering a catch to Chris Kaye, then Grogan claimed the key wicket of professional Hasnain Abbas, who hit a long-hop to Cross at cover.
Slawson then bowled Australian amateur Lewis Ashton and took Ian Dronsfield off a return catch.
Werneth did not help their own cause in between when Joe Taylor was run out by an impressive double-act between Naeem and wicketkeeper Pawson.
And when Rob Shaw was tamely caught off the recently-introduced Chris Kaye they had slumped to 64-7.
But the Werneth tail did show some spirit, with Mahmood Ul-Hassan and Mark Dronsfield putting on 31 for the eighth wicket until Slawson struck again.
He clean bowled Dronsfield then had Ul-Hassan caught off a skier by Kaye, and, at 109-9, it was just a matter of whether home skipper Andy Walker and Mark Wilson could hold out for the remaining five overs. That they did, keeping spinners Slawson and Kaye at bay as Heywood failed to find the finishing touch.