Greenmount first eleven suffered a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat at home to Crompton on Friday, a result that sees them bow out of the JWL T20 Competition at the group stage writes SAM CHADWICK.
Choosing to bat on a balmy evening at The Log Cabin, the usually in-form 20-over batting line-up crumbled to a disappointing 77 all out. A much-changed team featured new introductions to the first team in Toby Ashworth (signed from Ramsbottom) and young fast-bowler Ed ‘Wackers’ Wackrill, who joined fellow juniors Noah Birtwistle and Toby Leach in the eleven.
All were soon called into action with the bat as regular wickets tumbled. The tone was set when Tom Heaton was removed with just the third ball of the match by Crompton’s Simon Wright. The theme of ‘three’ continued, with three bowlers taking three-wicket hauls: Adam Good and Jaime King both claimed 3 for 9, and Asif Fazal picked up 3 for 6.
Only two would make it into double figures for the Mount. Captain Travis Townsend battled his way to 19 off 28 balls under pressure, while Callum Hunter top-scored with 20 off 17. The highlight of an otherwise disappointing innings was perhaps the 14th over, in which Hunter collected 17 of those runs, hitting Denis Louis for four boundaries.
Hunter also made the away side sweat opening the bowling, giving Wright a taste of his own medicine to leave Crompton 3 for 1 in the first over. However, any signs of an unlikely win for the villagers soon dissipated, with Mohammed Jamal’s 35 off 18 balls doing much of the damage.
Jamal’s was the only other wicket to fall, also to Hunter, before the game was wrapped up in just the eighth over by Sam Rigby’s winning boundary.
The disappointing loss leaves Greenmount fifth in their group, with one more game to play at Todmorden next Friday.