A look back on the action from Saturday for the 1st and 2nd XIs.
1st XI Hold on to Draw
The 1st XI held on for a share of the spoils on Saturday. They drew at home to Spring View after facing a huge total in pursuit of victory.
Tough Day With the Ball
Maghull captain Macauley Lawrenson asked the visitors to bat first after winning the toss. He would have been pretty pleased with his decision initially. Three Spring View batters were dismissed by the time the scoreboard read 83. Zack Benton claimed two scalps, one grasped at the second attempt by wicket keeper Paul McKenna, while Anthony Molloy also nabbed one. But the next Spring View wicket did not fall until the score had reached 207. Max Bittner had hit an aggressive 69, with five 4s and three 6s, before he was caught by Harry Beddard off the bowling of Josh Byrne. There were no further wickets for Maghull, however. Debutant Harrison Hurst and Iain Critchley added a further 65, the final runs taking Hurst to his first century for his new team. This meant Maghull would require 273 runs to earn their second league win of the season.
Grinding it Out
Maghull got off to an uneven start, with openers Joe Campbell (5) and Jon Ring (20) both out by the time the score hit 31. Byrne and Beddard added 45 for the third wicket, a partnership broken when Beddard was dismissed for 28. Shaun Hornby and Byrne added another 40-run alliance. But Hornby (12), McKenna (0) and Byrne (43) all fell within one run of each other, leaving Maghull perilously perched at 117-6. Molloy then contributed 24 of a 26-run partnership with his captain before he fell with the score on 143. But Lawrenson (11*) and Matt Bean (10*) were able to keep the visitors at bay. At stumps, the home side were 166-7.
Maghull took five points from the draw and sit 8th in the 1st Division. They travel to 9th place Sutton (St Helens) on Saturday, who lost by 62 runs away at Sefton Park at the weekend.
2nd XI Win Thrilling Run Chase
The 2nd XI pulled off an excellent run chase to win away at Spring View on Saturday. Bowling first, the home side fell to 47-3. Rowan Badger claimed all three wickets in his opening spell. The home side rallied, however. They didn’t lose another wicket on their way to 226-3d from 37.1 overs. Harry Cooper hit 105* from 100 balls, with 19 fours and a 6.
A 108-run partnership for the second wicket gave Maghull’s run chase serious impetus. Johnny Hennessy contributed 55 – his first half-century since 2023 – to the stand with Jamie Breakwell (57* by the time Hennessy fell), who played his finest knock of the season to date. Breakwell added 21 with Liam Gibbons (12) and 28 with Niall Noble (19) to leave Maghull poised on 185-4. Captain Joe Cunningham joined Breakwell, and another stand of 33 was forged before Breakwell was dismissed for 78, nine runs short of victory. The job was completed by the skipper, who hit the winning runs to finish 34* from just 19 deliveries.
The win gave the 2s 22 points and saw them climb to 9th in the 1st Division. They have played a game less than all of the teams around them, and are only one win away from fifth spot. They will look to pick up another win this Saturday, when Rainhill visit Hall Lane.
