There were victories for the 1st and 4th XIs on Saturday and Sunday
Maghull held their nerve to pull off a tense run chase on Saturday, as they beat Southport & Birkdale by three wickets.
Bowlers Wrestle Back the Initiative
Visiting captain Dean Skelton elected to bat first after winning the toss, a sensible-looking decision given the glorious weather bathing Hall Lane at the start of play. Skelton’s faith appeared justified as his openers raced to 56, with Maghull deprived of Anthony Molloy’s bowling after just three balls. Molloy suffered a hamstring injury, and Craig Black replaced him. Wickets seemed to tumble at regular intervals. Raunak Roy was top scorer with 31, as the visitors were dismissed for 167. Cam Lawrenson picked up 4-35, and there were two wickets each for Black, Zack Benton and Greg Coogan. The steady hands of Jon Ring accounted for three catches, two off the bowling of Lawrenson.
Molloy to the Rescue
Maghull made a solid start to their reply, with openers Ring and Joe Campbell forming a 65-run alliance for the first wicket. Ring departed for a 51-ball 34. As in the first innings, a wicket falling quickly led to a flurry of dismissals. Josh Byrne was adjudged LBW for 2, offering no stroke to Bobby Wincer. The same bowler ended Campbell’s gritty innings when he had reached 41. Wincer then added both Macauley and Cam Lawrenson for one run, and suddenly the scoreboard read 107-5. Molloy, in clear discomfort, was going along well at the other end, and was on 24 when Cam fell. He had advanced to 36 when Black fell for 14 and was on the same score when Skelton stumped Frank Byron off the bowling of Wincer. This gave the spinner his sixth wicket of the innings, and left Maghull 133-7. But there would be no more success for the visitors. Coogan joined Molloy, and the two shared an unbroken 35-run stand. During the partnership, Molloy went to his second consecutive half century, following his unbeaten 64 against Colwyn Bay. But Coogan applied the coup de grace, hitting the winning runs with a canal-threatening six. This marked the second time in three games Coogan had finished a game with a maximum.
Moving on Up
The 25-point victory moves Maghull up to eighth place in the First Division. They are 22 points ahead of Sutton in ninth and 19 off seventh-place Sefton Park. Next week they travel to Wales for a clash with Northop Hall. The home side are currently fifth in the table, and just 12 points off the promotion spots.
Older Heads Lead the Way in 4th XI Victory
The 4th XI picked up their second straight win on Sunday in another nail-biter, this time against Haydock. Maghull made 154 in their innings. Phil Ivens made an imperious 76 from 90 balls on a capricious pitch on which Haydock bowler Ellie Parkinson took 7-29. The home side could only muster 126. Will Noble picked up 5-18 from his seven overs, while Tadhg Bell also took 2-10. James Forrest, Harrison Willis and Owen Quilliam all claimed a scalp each.
