Sunday 31 July 2005 - Neston U13 v Timperley U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
On Sunday 31st July 2005, Timperley visited Parkgate to take on Neston Under 13's in the final round of fixtures of the Cheshire County Cricket Junior League. Holiday commitments meant that Neston had to call up a number of players from the Under 12 age level. Skipper Tom Howcroft won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first in grey and overcast weather conditions.
Indisciplined bowling cost Neston a lot of runs and Timperley went on to post a very good score of 132-7 after their allocation of 24 overs. Michael Rudd was the top scorer with a patient knock of 28 and Tom Greenfield with 2-13 and Greg Allister 1-8 were the best performers with the ball for Neston.
Neston got off to a promising start with Howcroft and Mike Stewart putting on 22 for the first wicket after just 4 overs before Stewart was run out for 7. Howcroft was then caught behind for a quick-fire 18 and the home side then collapsed to find themselves 27-5 by the end of the 7th over.
The hosts never really recovered from this position and they were eventually bowled out for 73 in the 22nd over, with only Allister (17) and Ben Hardern (13) offering any further resistance. Timperley twins Michael Rudd (3-7) and James Rudd (2-12) saw the visitors to a 59 runs victory margin.
Neston finished their season in 4th place in the Plate Group.
Match Summary
Timperley 132-7 off 24 overs (M. Rudd 28, N. Brown 17, T. Greenfield 2-13, G. Allister 1-8)
Neston 73 all out off 21.2 overs (T. Howcroft 18, G. Allister 17, M. Rudd 3-7, J. Rudd 2-12)

Sunday 24 July 2005 - Cheadle Hulme U13 v Neston U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
On the afternoon Sunday 24th July 2005, Neston Under 13's travelled to high-flying Cheadle Hulme to play in a Cheshire Junior Cricket League fixture. After losing the toss, Neston were asked to bat in gloomy conditions and they lost a couple of early wickets to find themselves at 11-2 by the end of the fourth over. Tom Howcroft (21 not out) and George Mills (30 not out) steadied the ship for Neston by taking the visitors to a very promising 57-2 in the 12th over, before the rain came down heavily and caused the game to be abandoned.
Both teams shared the points, which may have a detrimental effect on Cheadle Hulme's title hopes. They have to visit Toft next Sunday in what is likely to be a title decider, dependent on Toft's result today (Sunday). Neston are sitting comfortably in fourth place in the Plate Group and they complete their league fixtures for the season by playing Timperley at home next Sunday.
Match summary
Neston 57-2, after 12.5 overs (Mills 30 not out, Howcroft 21 not out, Brown 2-11)
Match abandoned - Cheadle Hulme 2pts Neston 2pts

Under 11's Team Photo 2005

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Sunday 17 July 2005 - Under 11' Season Summary
(report from Graeme Lea-Swain)
The Under 11 season is now complete. Our record was: played 9 won 8 - top of the league equal with Birkenhead Park
In the last game we beat Irby by 181 runs (Cam Lea-Swain 37, Richard Capes 25, Mike Stewart 20)
2005 top scorers: Cam Lea-Swain 225, Mike Stewart 146, James Fennah 119
2005 top wicket takers: Cam Lea-Swain 12, Jonathen Crick 11, Richard Capes 9, Mike Stewart 8

Sunday 17 July 2005 - Stockport Georgians U13 v Neston U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
On Sunday 17th July 2005, Neston Under 13's travelled to Stockport Georgians to play a Cheshire Junior Cricket League fixture. Holiday commitments meant that Neston were forced to field a severely under-strength team and in glorious summer weather conditions, stand-in skipper Anthony Dempsey won the toss and he asked the home team to bat first. Neston got off to a good start and they had the home team on the back foot by reducing them to just 33-5 after 9 overs. Unfortunately, Neston could not keep the momentum going and the hosts recovered well to reach 110 all-out after their 24 overs. This score was far more than it should have been and it was aided by some very indisciplined bowling, which saw the home team pick up a staggering 48 in extras. Only Ethan Martin for Stockport Georgians was able to dominate with the bat and he scored 29, before being comprehensively bowled by Tom Howcroft. Dempsey bowled extremely well to record 2-6 from his 4 overs and he was well backed up by Nick Power (2-14), Jack Richards (2-18) and Howcroft (1-15). In reply, Neston did not get off to the best of starts and they lost a number of early wickets and after 9 overs they found themselves in the perilous position of 21-7. At this point, Jack Richards came in and he tried to bring Neston back into the game, by putting on a partnership of 30 with Jake Cross. Richards eventually ran out of partners and he finished on 18 not out as the visitors were dismissed for a paltry 58. Neston coach, Vinny Howcroft described this as a 'bad day at the office' after the game and he was able to reflect that it was the first time in 14 matches this season that the team had been bowled out. Neston are still in a challenging position near to the top of their group and they travel to Cheadle Hulme next Sunday to play in a re-arranged league fixture.
Match summary
Stockport Georgians 110 all out after 24 overs (Martin 29, Howgego 11, Dempsey 2-6, Power 2-14)
Neston 58 all out after 17.2 overs (Richards 18 n/o, Cross 8, Ash-Tilton 3-13, Howgego 2-0)

Sunday 10 July 2005 - Bramhall U13 v Neston U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
On Sunday Neston Under 13's travelled to Bramhall to take on their counterparts in a Cheshire County Junior Cricket league fixture. Neston skipper Phil Gwyn won the toss and he asked the home side to bat first in glorious weather conditions. Despite not being able to field a full-strength team as a number of regular players were away on holiday, Neston bowled and fielded to a very high standard and they were able to restrict Bramhall to a score of 99-7 in their allocated overs. Only Wilson for the home team was able to cope with the Neston bowlers, as he scored 32 before having to retire. Nick Sheehy with 2-12, Gwyn with 1-5 and Luke Smith with 0-3 from their allotted 4 overs took the bowling honours for Neston. Neston got off to the worst possible reply by losing George Mills for a duck in the opening over, but then Tom Howcroft (18) batted really well along with Nick Sheehy (10), Gwyn, who scored 30 before retiring and Jake Cross (18) as the visitors recovered well to reach 92-4 by the 17th over.
However, Bramhall did not roll over and allow Neston to dominate the match and a calamitous middle order collapse meant that Neston only just overhauled the home team's total in the 22nd over eventually scoring 101-9. Harry Burnett and Luke Smith managed to keep their composure to see Neston home as the visitors recorded their second successive victory. This win leaves Neston in a challenging position near to the top of the Plate Group and they still have a game in hand on a number of other teams.
Next weekend, Neston have got a home game against Cheadle Hulme on Saturday and they then travel to Stockport Georgians on Sunday.
Match Summary :-
Bramhall 99-7 after 24 overs (Wilson 32 ret'd, Horrocks 17, Sheehy 2-12, Gwyn 1-5)
Neston 101-9 after 22.5 overs (Gwyn 30 ret'd, Howcroft 18, Cross 18, Hayward 2-13, Plevin 2-16)


Sunday 3 July 2005 - Neston U13 v Hyde U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
On Sunday 3rd July 2005, Neston Under 13's entertained Hyde at Parkgate and after winning the toss, the home side chose to bowl first. The visitors got off to a steady start, but some excellent bowling and disciplined fielding from the hosts saw Hyde eventually post a total of 89-8 after their allotted 24 overs. Phil Gwyn finished with 3-15 from his 4 overs and he was well supported by Nick Power, who took 2-8.
Despite losing two early wickets, with Tom Howcroft (2) playing one on to his stumps, in a similar style to Michael Vaughan the previous day for England against Australia and Nick Sheehy being run out for 5, Neston recovered well to reach their target with more than 6 overs to spare. Tom Bills top-scored with an excellent 31 before he had to retire, leaving Gwyn (21 not out) and George Mills (14 not out) to see Neston comfortably home, as they recorded a win by 8 wickets. This was Neston's best all-round performance of the season, to date and the win leaves them currently in mid-table in the Plate Group, although they do have a game in hand on a number of teams above them.
Match summary
Hyde 89-8 after 24 overs (Guth 14 not out, Brennan 14, Gwyn 3-15, Power 2-8)
Neston 90-2 after 17.5 overs (Bills 31 ret'd, Gwyn 21 not out, Mills 14 not out, Guth 1-19)
On Friday 8th July 2005, Cheadle Hulme will visit Neston to play a re-arranged league fixture and the match starts at 6.00pm.

Sunday 26 June 2005 - Neston U15 v Alderley Edge U15
Neston 99 all out, D Hurst 42 ret'd, T Bowling 19, Boddington 3 - 0 (only 4 balls, including hat-trick), McGuinness 3 - 9.
Alderley Edge 101 - 5, C Reid 30, F Bryant , R Higgins 2 - 8, D Hurst 2 - 3
Alderley Edge (4 points) won by 5 wickets.

Cheshire County League Junior Newsletter 2005 No.6
Click here for the latest junior league newsletter

Sunday 26 June 2005 - Under 13's latest news
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
Unfortunately our game at Cheadle Hulme this Sunday (26 June) was cancelled as they were due to play in the semi-final of the Cheshire Cup. This League game has now been re-arranged for 6.00pm on Friday 8th July 2005 and it will be played at Parkgate, as opposed to us having to travel to Cheadle Hulme.

Cheshire County League Junior Newsletter 2005 No.5
Click here for the latest junior league newsletter

Under 9's Team Photo taken at Upton (Thanks AB)

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Sunday 19 June 2005 - Neston U13 v Macclesfield U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
Neston Under 13's completed their zonal matches last week and through a combination of other team's losing their last matches and Neston's overall net run rate, they have now found themselves in the Cheshire County Junior Cricket League Plate Group. This is the middle ranked group of the three competitions for the remainder of the season.
On Sunday 19th June 2005, Macclesfield visited Parkgate and Neston won the toss and chose to field. The visitors got off to a reasonable start, but they were eventually bowled out for 113, with Robbie Keen top scoring with 30 before having to retire. Tom Bills with 3-19, Anthony Dempsey with 2-8 and George McCafferey with 1-15 from their allotted overs were the best bowlers for Neston in really hot weather conditions.
Tom Howcroft and Nick Sheehy got Neston off to a good reply by putting on 35 for the opening wicket. However, some very disciplined spin bowling by Coleman and McAndrew for Macclesfield meant that Neston completed their innings on 107-7, which was 6 runs short of victory. Phil Gwyn registered the home team's top score with 19 and he was well supported by George Mills with 16, Bills and Sheehy each with 15 and Howcroft with 14.
A fine demonstration in the art of spin bowling by Coleman and McAndrew for Macclesfield meant that Neston fell just short of their required target.
Neston make the long trek to Stockport Georgians next Sunday to play their second fixture in the Plate Group. Match Summary;-
Macclesfield 113 all out in 23.3 overs (Keen 30 not out, Agarwal 12, Bills 3-19, Dempsey 2-8, McCafferey 1-15)
Neston 107-7 in 24 overs (Gwyn 19, Mills 16, Sheehy 15, Bills 15, Howcroft 14, Coleman 2-7, Keen 2-21)

Sunday 12 June 2005 - Neston U13 v Oulton Park U13
Neston Under 13's came up against a strong team from Oulton Park at Parkgate this Sunday. The visitors needed a win from this game to finish their zonal matches in a position to qualify for the Championship play-offs and after winning the toss they elected to bat. The weather conditions were not ideal for producing good cricket and were probably more suited to December than June.
Oulton Park took advantage of some rather slack work in the field by the home team to post a score of 121-4 in their 24 overs, despite some excellent bowling by Nick Power with 1-9 and Anthony Dempsey with 1-11 from their allocated 4 overs. In reply, Neston did not get off to the best of starts and they eventually totalled 99-6, which included some aggressive batting by Tom Bills, who scored 31 before having to retire and he was backed up by Dempsey scoring a quick 20 and Jack Richards finishing unbeaten on 19.
This 22-run defeat leaves Neston sweating on other results to see whether they will play in either the middle play-off group or possibly in the bottom play-off group.

Sunday 12 June 2005 - Neston U15 v Oulton Park U15
Neston 178 - 8 (M Knight 34, E Morris 29, R Higgins 42 ret'd, I Moss 2 - 31, ' Eldridge 2 - 26)
Oulton Park 115 - 8. (D Thorpe 32, I Moss 21, E Morris 2 - 23)
Neston (4 points) won by 63 runs

Sunday 12 June 2005 - Parkfield U13 v Neston U13
Neston 151-6 (J.Rowland 38no , T. Greenfield 33 , s. Roberts 21no)
Parkfield 71 (Hardern 2-8, Thompson 2-4 , Woolley 2-20)
Neston win by 80 runs

Under 17's - Details of John North Trophy Match against Irby recently(report from Don Hurst)
Irby 109/6 (Steven Hurworth 52, David Hurst 2/6, Richard Higgins 2/25)
Neston 112/0 (David Hurst 78no, Lloyd Murphy 25no)
Neston won by 10 wickets, now play Upton at home in next round.

Sunday 5 June 2005 - Appleton U15 v Neston U15
(report from Alan Reeve)
Neston 179 - 3 (D Hurst 40 ret'd, M Knight 40 ret'd, D Manchett 30, L Robinson 32)
Appleton 90 - 9 (A Tyrer 19, G Richards 22, S Bryan 2 - 6, E Morris 3 - 7)
Neston (4 points) won by 89 runs.

Sunday 5 June 2005 - Neston U13 v Toft U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
Neston CC Under 13's played their counterparts from Toft at Parkgate on Sunday 5th June 2005. After winning the toss, Neston chose to field and Toft scored a highly respectable 131-3 in their 24 overs. Phil Weatherston with 2-8 was the pick of the Neston bowlers and he was well supported by some good accurate bowling by Anthony Dempsey with 1-14 and George McCafferey with 0-13 from their allotted 4 overs.
In reply, Neston got themselves into a position where they probably should have gone on to win the game, but some good disciplined bowling by the visitors saw that Neston's runs dried up towards the end of their innings and Neston closed on 111-8 in reply, falling just 20 runs from their required total. Nick Power batted extremely well for his 16 runs and Phil Weatherston finished on 16 not out.
Neston complete their round of Zonal matches with a home game against Oulton Park next Sunday, before they then take part in the play-off's.

Sunday 29 May 2005 - Neston U9 v Caldy U9
Now, if you can understand how the scoring works, please click here for the scanned image of the scoresheet from todays victory over Caldy. If you don't understand it and feel the urge to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact Andy Beddard!

Sunday 29 May 2005 - Grappenhall U13 v Neston U13
(report from Vinny Howcroft)
On Sunday 29th May 2005, we travelled to Grappenhall to play a Cheshire Junior Cricket League fixture in very picturesque surroundings where we cruised to a comfortable 8 wicket victory. Winning the toss, Neston chose to bowl and some very disciplined bowling and fielding saw the hosts limited to 84-8 in their allotted 24 overs. The pick of the bowlers were Tom Howcroft with 2-6 and George Mills with 2-15.
Neston got off to a flier with Tom Howcroft and Nick Sheehey putting on 27 for the 1st wicket at nearly a run a ball and we quickly reached our target in the 15th over. Nick Sheehey eventually retired on 30 and Tom Bills scored the winning boundary to finish unbeaten on 32.
This win leaves us sitting in mid-table with two wins from our opening 5 fixtures.

Sunday 29 May 2005 - Tranmere Vics U13 v Neston U13
Neston 168-6 (T.Greenfield 37n.o , J.williams 35n.o , J.Rowland 20)
Tranmere Vics 60-7 (A.Hind 2-8)

Sunday 29 May 2005 - Neston U15 v Grappenhall U15
(report from Alan Reeve)
Grappenhall (won toss) 138 - 5, L McCoy 40 ret'd, A Tetlow 27, M Titchard 26 no, C Steere 2 - 11, A Moore 2 - 25
Neston 42 all out, P Van Berkum 17 no, A Tetlow 2 - 6, S Guest 3 - 21, M Taylor 2 - 5
Grappenhall - 4 points - won by 96 runs.

Sunday 22 May 2005 - Neston U13 v Birkenhead Park U13
Neston 113-4( 25 overs) Davis 23 not out, Greenfield 22 not out, Hind 20
Birkenhead Park 45 all out - Roberts 3-12, Allister 2-2 , Hurst 2-14
Neston win by 68 runs

Sunday 22 May 2005 - Wallasey U9 v Neston U9
(report from Dickie Thorn)
Without the same level of support as the previous week the team slumped to a 17 run defeat.
Wallasey scored a net 267 having lost 7 wickets. Unlike the previous week catches were not held and several run out chances missed. The only bowler to take more than 1 wicket was debutant James O'Neill who took 3.
Neston scored a net 250 having lost 8 wickets. They had a couple of good bowlers who had a bit more pace and bowled straight. Top scorer was Tom O'Neill (twin brother of James) also making his debut. He scored 12 and was out once.
A disappointing result but emphasises there is still lots to work at on Monday nights.

Sunday 8 May 2005 - New Brighton U9 v Neston U9
(report from Dickie Thorn)
Neston net 315 (Andrew Heath 32, Matthew Stewart 17, Daniel Beddard 15 once out)
New Brighton net 188 (Matthew Stewart 4 wkts, Daniel Beddard and Kieran Woolley 3 each)
Neston won by 127 runs

Sunday 8 May 2005 - Parkonians U13 v Neston U13
Neston 94 all out Robinson 14 , Greenfield 16
Parkonians 52 all out Davis 2-15, Greenfield 6-10(incl hat-trick all bowled)
Neston win by 42 runs

Sunday 8 May 2005 - Neston U15 v Oxton U15
(report from Alan Reeve)
Neston 154 - 5 (D Hurst 40 ret'd, E Morris 30, M Knight 23, L Robinson 28)
Oxton 134 - 8 (N Lytollis 39, D Manchett 1- 8, D Hurst 1 - 2, L Robinson 2 - 21)
Neston (4 points) won by 20 runs

Monday 2 May - Warrington U15 vs Neston U15
(report from Alan Reeve)
Neston 195 - 6 (D Hurst 41 ret'd, M Knight 41 ret'd, P Van Berkum 40 ret'd, F Quayum 2 - 23)
Warrington 82 - 8 (M Fife 16 no, R Hall 16, C Smythe 17, T Bowling 1- 16, C Steere 1- 8, A Moore 2-17, L Robinson 4 - 10)
Neston (4 points) won by 113 runs

Sunday 1 May - Northwich U15 vs Neston U15
(report from Alan Reeve)
Neston 108 - 4 (D Hurst 40 ret'd, M Knight 40 ret'd, M Jamieson 1- 21, J Tracey 1- 18)
Northwich 92 - 9 (M Jamieson 28, M Jones 3 - 17, E Morris 1- 8, T Bowling 1- 16, A Moore 1- 6)
Neston (4 points) won by 16 runs

Sunday 1 May 2005 - New Brighton U13 v Neston U13
Neston 101-6 (25 overs) Robinson 24, Hind 24, Davis 21not out
New Brighton 104-2
Won by 8 wkts

7 August 2004 - UNDER 15'S BEAT ORMSKIRK (report from Don Hurst)
After the disappointment of the previous week when we could not play the game due to thunderstorms, we arrived at Ormskirk to find the ground bathed in sunshine and looking glorious. A large crowd were anticipating a close game between two quality sides who had done superbly to reach this stage of the competition.

David Hurst lost the toss for the first time this season and Ormskirk elected to bat first on a good pitch. A good start from David and Tom Richardson saw the home side reach 11/0 off 3 overs before Tom bowled a beauty to get rid of their captain for 12 with the score on 13. Their Lancashire player Owen Stratton played very well hitting any loose balls to the boundary to take the score to 42/1 off 9. A great run out by David Hurst left Ormskirk at 51/2 off 10 at the halfway stage. Ben Edwards bowled quick and tight without any luck and David Manchett despite bowling well was punished if he strayed slightly. Michael Russon was unfortunate to come on when the two batsmen had started their attack and was hit for four successive boundaries to take them to 85/2 off 15. Tight bowling was now required to try and rescrict Ormskirk to a total under 110. Adam Croft hit one off Tom that looked as if it was going for six on the square leg boundary when David Manchett raced around and took a magnificent catch to remove him for a fine 23 just when it seemed they were getting away from us. Lawrence Lewis with his leg spin, Tom, David and excellent fielding then kept things tight to leave Ormskirk on 109/3 off their 20 overs with Owen Stratton remaining unbeaten on 51. A decent total but one we felt we could chase with confidence.

David Hurst and Tom Richardson opened the innings and started sensibly with quick singles against good and accurate bowling. Tom was looking comfortable when he attempted to take two to fine leg and was run out for 7. That error was soon followed by a poor shot from Ben Edwards to leave us on 30/2 off 7 overs. Sam McPherson joined David and ticked the scoring along nicely until David fished at one outside off stump and was caught by their keeper for 15. 41/3 off 8 wasn't looking good however Alistair Greenfield was next in and proceeded to play some lovely shots and with excellent running between the wickets with Sam took us to 78 off 15 until Sam was caught behind for 16. Laurence Lewis hit a quick 8 before he went bowled and David Manchett joined Alistair to keep the tempo going. The total was on 91 when Alistair was run out for an excellent 24. Peter Van Berkum then joined David with 19 needed off 3 overs. A combination of calm batting and stressful bowling and fielding saw us require 7 off the last over. Nerves were fraying around the ground especially from yours truly however David and Peter kept their nerve to see us home with a superb cover drive for 4 from David off the penultimate ball.

What a match and a fantastic performance from all the players. Special praise should be mentioned of Hannah Chesters (daughter of Pete) and James Skinner who came in at the last minute to play and contributed to a fine all round performance.

Ormskirk 109/3 (O Stratton 51*, A Croft 23, Tom Richardson 2/15)
Neston 113/6 (Alistair Greenfield 24, Sam McPherson 16, David Hurst 15, David Manchett 12*)

We are now through to the Regional Play Off Finals which will take place on Tuesday 10 August 2004 at York Cricket Club. The semi final match (10.30am start) is against Lullington Park CC (Derbyshire Champions) with the winners facing either Pudsey St Lawrence (Yorkshire) or Tynemouth (Northumberland) in the final (2.15pm start). All support welcome.

1 August 2004 - UNDER 15'S ARE CHESHIRE CHAMPIONS !!! (report from Don Hurst)
Wednesday 21st July 2004. Portman Under 15 Cheshire Cup Final at Grappenhall CC
Neston travelled to Grappenhall CC for the final in full confidence despite being without our two wicketkeepers Mathew Knight and Alistair Greenfield who were both unavailable due to holidays.

The Grappenhall ground was in immaculate condition and the wicket despite looking a bit green seemed ok. A big crowd which included many supporters from Neston awaited a closely fought game. On winning the toss for the umpteen time this season, David Hurst our captain decided to bat first as we had done in all our previous games in this competition.

David and Tom Richardson opened the innings and got us off to a steady start against accurate bowling scoring 42 off 10 overs. They both then assessed the situation and without panicking started the attack! What followed was a fantastic sight with both batsmen hitting perfectly placed shots to all parts of the ground with the Heaton Mersey fielders retreating backwards towards the boundary. Tom was unfortunately run out backing up for a fine 26 and with Neston on 65/1 off 13, Ben Edwards joined David to continue the onslaught. He too was quickly into his stride running superbly and with both players hitting plenty of two's and fours we had reached 141/1 before he was run out in the last over going for another quick single. This left David to see out the remaining over ending on a superb 84 not out in a Neston total of 144/2 off 20 overs. A fantastic batting performance from David, Tom and Ben which left the Heaton Mersey players shellshocked and visually drained!

A half time team talk from myself and Julian installed in our players that this game wasn't over yet and that they would have to bowl and field well to win it against a team containing three Cheshire players.

Ian Hoggart and Tom Richardson opened the bowling and bowled very tight restricting both batsmen to singles only. Mathew Ayaz then picked up and threw in a great return to Sam McPherson who was standing in as wicketkeeper to get rid of one of their Cheshire players for 3. A great start which continued with excellent bowling and fielding from all the boys especially Michael Russell who protected the cover boundary as if his life depended on it. Heaton Mersey were 33/1 off 10 overs and needed to accelerate quickly to have any chance of reaching their target. Another run out from Mathew Ayaz and great bowling from David Hurst, Ben Edwards and David Manchett left Heaton Mersey on 59/4 off 16 and the game virtually out of their reach. David then relaxed the screw allowing other players to join in the game and Laurence Lewis took two wickets with his leg spin to leave Heaton Mersey on 92/7 off their alloted 20 overs leaving Neston a massive 52 runs winning margin.

Neston 144/2 (David Hurst 84*, Tom Richardson 26, Ben Edwards 24)
Heaton Mersey 92/7 (Adam Catlow 24, Laurence Lewis 2/11)

An excellent all round performance from Neston who now go on to represent Cheshire against the Lancashire winners Ormskirk CC in the next round of the national competition on Sunday 01 August 2004 at Ormskirk CC commencing at 2.00pm. All support welcome.

1 August 2004 - UNDER 15'S v MACCLESFIELD
Sunday 18th July 2004
Neston travelled to the other side of Cheshire to face Macclesfield with only 9 players due to late withdrawals and County commitments, however we still fancied our chances against a side who had struggled in the top play off group. Macclesfield won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch with a very small boundary on one side of the ground. A quick run out in the first over was followed by a decent partnership of 44 leaving Macclesfield on 46/1 off 10 overs. Their opener Cole quickly retired on 40no but after he departed they gradually reached 98/6 off their 25 overs without really testing our bowling attack of which Laurence Lewis was the pick with 3/19.

In reply Neston were quickly in trouble losing both openers Lewis (1) and Richardson (4) before Ben Edwards and Sam McPherson arrived at the crease and put together a good partnership of 42 before Ben was dismissed for 39 which included 3 mighty sixes, one of which landed on the Hospital roof! Sam (28no) and David Manchett (13) eventually took us to our target of 99 with ease.

Macclesfield 98/6 (S Cole 40*, L Lewis 3/19)
Neston 99/4 (B Edwards 39, S McPherson 28*, D Manchett 13)


Another excellent win especially with 9 players which carries us nicely into the Cheshire Cup Final against Heaton Mersey on Wednesday 21st July 2004, 6.15pm start. All welcome.

19 July 2004 - BIG GAME FOR UNDER 15'S
The Under 15's will meet Heaton Mersey in the Cheshire Cup Final at Grappenhall CC on Wednesday 21 July 2004 - all support welcome. They're pictured below just before their semi-final victory against Elworth.

19 July 2004 - UNDER 11'S ARE CHAMPIONS
CONGRATULATIONS to the Under 11's who have won the Wirral and District Under 11's League under the expert leadership of Hyphen the Brave !!. The team won eight out of nine games to finish joint top with New Brighton who we beat in the first game giving us the moral high ground!

Top batsmen were Alex Hind who scored 165 and Tom Greenfield with 119 (players can only bat for 4 overs per game in pairs). Top bowlers were Ashley Davis (son of Turk) with 15 wickets conceding 33 runs, and Cameron Lea-Swain with 5 wickets conceding only 17 runs. We also had players who represented their County; Ashley Davis played for Cheshire Under 10's, Cameron Lea-Swain and Tom Greenfield both trialled for Cheshire and Alex Hind,Tom Greenfield and Ashley Davis represented the Wirral.

Under 11's Wirral Junior League Champions 2004
Standing (left to right): Graeme Lea-Swain (Coach), Jeremy Williams, Alex Hind, Stephen Roberts, Jack Rowlands, Mike Stewart
Sitting (left to right): Tom Greenfield, Daniel Meredith Greg Allister, Ashley Davies, Cameron Lea-Swain
Also played during the season: Daniel Robinson, Mike Thompson, Mathew Brooks, Antash

5 July 2004 - LATEST UNDER 15 DETAILS
Friday 25th June V Oulton Park(Cheshire Cup Quarter Final)
Neston 127/2 off 20 overs (David Hurst 74*, Ben Edwards 16*, Tom Richardson 13)
Oulton Park 86/8 off 20 overs (Rick Moore 23, David Hurst 3/7, David Manchett 3/9)

A fantastic performance from all the boys in defeating the favourites Oulton Park who had four Cheshire players in their line up. We set a decent total with David, Tom and Ben batting superbly. In response Oulton Park got off to a reasonable start, but couldn't cope with excellent bowling from David Hurst and David Manchett who ripped through the middle order with great effect.
The semi final will be played at home on Friday 09 July (6.00pm) against the winners of Elworth or Hyde.

Sunday 27th June V Alderley Edge (Cheshire League)
Alderley Edge 138/8 off 25 overs (O Wildig 43*, K Sawas 31, B Hayes 26, Laurence Lewis 2/16, P Van Berkum 1/9, David Hurst 1/14)
Neston 117/9 off 25 overs (David Hurst 40*, Ben Edwards 26, T Henshaw 2/1, T Hadfield 2/11, B Hayes 2/22, B Heades 2/30)

A disappointing performance from our seam attack. We bowled far too many short balls which were severely punished by quality batsmen. The total was the highest we had conceded this season, and unfortunately our batting was not up to the high standards we had seen during the season. We got off to a poor start losing two early wickets before David and Ben put a decent partnership together, however once those two departed we never looked like surpassing the total and lost wickets at important stages of the game.
An excellent win for Alderley Edge who i fancy to go on and win the Championship this year.
Finally a welcome return to Neston of Sam McPherson, who has been away in Dubai with his family for the last six months. Sam is a quality player who will add steel to our batting whist being very useful with his leg spin bowling.

16 June 2004 - PLAY-OFF DETAILS
Play off fixtures for Under 13's and U15's from Sunday 19 June Click here

13 June 2004 - TWO MORE WINS - report by Don Hurst
Friday 4th June at home V Stockport in Cheshire Cup.
Neston batted first and got off to a great start scoring 66 off 11 overs before Laurence Lewis was bowled for 19. David Hurst continued his good form with three quick boundaries until he was caught at mid off going for a fourth. Ben Edwards and Alistair Greenfield went successively for 0 and with Tom Richardson being ct & bowled for a fine 45 it left us on 85/5 with 5 overs remaining. Fortunately David Manchett and Mathew Knight came together and hit some great shots to take us to 124/7 off our 20 overs.
Stockports reply was steady reaching 34/0 off 8 overs with Ian Hoggart bowling a great spell of 4 overs, 2 maidens, 0 for 7. Realising they now needed over 7 an over to win their batsmen stated to open up with some big shots however David Hurst and David Manchett then took 5 wickets between them to leave Stockport 10 runs short.
Neston 124/7 (T Richardson 45, David Manchett 22*, Laurence Lewis 19, Z Spilsbury 4/16)
Stockport 114/5 (M Barrow 36, S Porritt 25, David Manchett 3/16, David Hurst 2/12)
Another good performance from Neston which takes us into the 1/4 finals against Oulton Park at Neston on Friday 25 June, 6.00pm start.

Sunday 6th June at home V Grappenhall.
Neston won the toss and decided to bat on a glorious sunny morning. We lost a wicket in the first over when Tom Richardson was bowled for 0, David Hurst(43*) and Laurence Lewis(37) then put together a fantastic partnership of 95 off 16 overs before David Manchett(15), Mathew Knight(21*) and Alistair Greenfield(17*) then punished an average bowling attack to take us to 165/4 off our 25 overs.
Grappenhall found the going difficult from the first ball and had only scored 35/0 off the first 10 overs with Ian Hoggart(0/10) and David Manchett(0/12) keeping things tight. Mathew Ayaz made the breakthrough with a good catch from Tom Richardson and then Michael Russon tore through their middle order with a burst of 3/9 off 5 overs. Relaxed bowling then allowed Grappenhall to reach 91/7 off their allocation to see Neston win by a massive 74 runs.
This latest win leaves Neston with 7 wins out of 8 and puts us in the Championship playoffs against the top three of the other two groups which will commence on 20th June. Opposition as yet unknown.

30 May 2004 - WIRRAL RIVALS CRUSHED - report by Don Hurst
Our old rivals Oxton were the visitors to Parkgate last weekend with Neston keen to avenge last year's heavy defeat. The match was eagerly awaited as both teams had players who had played for both sides and were friends who attended the same schools.
Neston lost the toss for the first time this season and Oxton decided to bat on an excellent track. David Manchett and Ben Edwards opened the bowling and it wasn't long before wickets started tumbling.
Ben bowled with his usual pace and hostility and David bowled superbly with pace, swing and accuracy to take 5 wickets for 9 runs off 5 overs. Oxton were shellshocked and couldn't recover with 2 wickets from David Hurst and Michael Russon and 1 from Mathew Ayaz helped by great catches from Peter Van Berkum and another 2 stumpings from Matty Knight saw Oxton collapse to 45 all out!
David H decided to change the batting order slightly giving other players an opportunity to have a bat with Laurence Lewis and Alistair Greenfield opening.
Both batsmen started off in good form hitting some lovely shots reaching 24 without loss before Alistair was bowled by his mate Gregg Baxter for 9. Peter Van Berkum was next in and got off the mark with a
great cover drive but he again was bowled by Gregg for 4. Laurence continued his good form this season to reach 23* and finish the game easily with Neston on 46/2.
An easy win for Neston which leaves us with 6 wins out of 7 and looking forward to a big match against Grappenhall at home this weekend which may determine the group winners.

25 May 2004 - U15'S UPDATE - report by Don Hurst
Friday 21 May 2004:
Last Friday evening we entertained Chester Boughton Hall in the Cheshire Cup. Chester unfortunately arrived late and we didn't get started until 6.35pm so we were expecting a late finish in gloomy conditions.
Neston won the toss and elected to bat on an excellent track on the back pitch. Laurence Lewis and Tom Richardson opened the innings against some pacy bowling from Chester's seam bowlers and it wasn't long before Tom was bowled leg stump for 2. David Hurst joined Laurence and immediately scored a leg side boundary off his first ball. They both then started scoring freely hitting shots to all parts of the field putting together a fantastic partnership of 135 with David scoring 67 not out and Laurence scoring 61 not out. Neston reached 142/1 off their twenty overs.
In reply Chester got off to a reasonable start scoring 37 off 8 overs despite good bowling from David Manchett and Ian Hoggart before Ian had Adam Millington caught by David Hurst for 18. Chris Blake joined his twin brother Mike to put on 40 in no time and Chester looked as if they could get close to our total. With the light fading fast and Chester's coach grumbling about unfair conditions despite them arriving late in the first place, Michael Russon then unleashed a beauty bowling Mike Blake middle stump for a steady 26. Liam Rowlands carried on the run chase with Chris and hit a quick 23 before Matty Ayaz took two wickets in the last over off catches by David and Tom leaving Chester on 117/4. Neston winning by 25 runs.
Neston 142/1 (David Hurst 67*, Laurence Lewis 61*)
Chester B Hall (Chris Blake 30*, Mike Blake 26, Liam Rowlands 23, Matty Ayaz 2/15)
Another good win for Neston taking us into the next round against Disley or Stockport at home.

Sunday 23 May 2004:
Another away game this time at Warrington. A couple of changes to the team with Mathew Jones and James Parkinson coming in for Ben Edwards(ankle) and Matty Ayaz(food poisoning) who were both unavailable.
David Hurst won the toss yet again (must be the two headed coin he uses!) and elected to bat on a green spongy wicket. Laurence and Tom got off to a slow start scoring only 19 off 6 overs until Tom received a short one in a very sensitive area which appeared to wake him up and he then proceeded to hit the next over for 14 and led an onslaught that saw us reach 104/0 before Tom retired on an excellent 42 not out. David joined Laurence and was run out first ball without facing when Laurence called for a quick single that was never on and the fielder hitting the stumps with a great throw. Laurence continued with his good form retiring on 42 not out. Matty Knight was then bowled for three but David Manchett scored an excellent 39 not out and Ian Hoggart 15 not out to take Neston to 166//2 off our 25 overs. Another superb batting performance which is improving every game.
Warrington in reply got off to a poor start losing Callum Smythe to an excellent caught and bowled by Michael Russon. Ian Hoggart kept things tight as usual from the other end leaving Warrington on 34/1 off 10 overs. David Hurst having failed for the first time this season with the bat brought himself on in tandem with another spinner Mathew Jones who was having his first bowl of the season. Half an hour later the game was over with David taking 5/2 and Mathew 2/21 with Matty Knight taking another three stumpings. A fantastic performance from both spinners saw Warrington being dismissed for 57 off 19 overs giving Neston a huge 109 run win.
Neston 166/2 (Tom Richardson 42*, Laurence Lewis 42*, David Manchett 39*, Ian Hoggart 15*)
Warrington 57a/o (Shaun Wooldridge 19, David Hurst 5/2, Mathew Jones 2/21)


This Sunday we are at home against our old rivals Oxton where we will be looking for revenge after being beaten heavily by them last season. 9.30am start, all welcome

17 May 2004 - U15'S COME OUT ON TOP IN EXCITING CLASH - report by Don Hurst
Sunday 16 May 2004:
Another away match this time at Chester Broughton Hall, where we arrived in glorious sunshine expecting to play on the front pitch as we had been informed early on during the week, however the groundsman had other ideas leaving instructions stating that the juniors had to use the back pitch as there was an important Sunday friendly taking place that afternoon! Where have we heard that one before!!!!!!

Anyway we had a look at the back pitch which was in great condition and looked like a road, the spinners couldn't wait to get going!

We won the toss and elected to bat with Tom Richardson and Laurence Lewis getting us off to a great start scoring 59 off 11 overs before Laurence was bowled playing on for a fine 27. David Hurst joined Tom and hit a number of boundaries before attempting to hit the spinner for a six over mid on and being caught by a an excellent catch on the boundary by C Blake. Ben Edwards was next in and scored a lively 14 before being bowled coming down the track to their spinner. Matty Knight (14) then hit three boundaries before being caught going for another big shot. Tom was playing the anchor role again this week to good effect before he nicked a leg side sweep to the keeper for a solid 37. We then lost a couple of wickets towards the end trying to get to 150 but eventually settled for 147/7 with their spinner L Rowlands taking 4/25.

In reply Chester got off to a good start with their two openers putting on 46 for the first wicket before Peter Van Berkum finally got one of his arrows on target to bowl M Blake for 21. A Millington(40*) and C Blake then put on 69 for the next wicket punishing any loose bowling from all our seamers. At 114/1 off 19 overs Chester were in control. David then decided to bring himself on with immediate effect having Blake stumped by Matty Knight at the 3rd attempt, Matty having mowed the stumps down twice before realising he had to take one out of the ground! Another two stumpings by Matty off David left Chester in trouble with wickets tumbling regularly. Chester eventually needed 18 off the last over with 2 wickets remaining. Step forward Michael Russon to bowl the last over with all fielders patrolling the boundary. Michael bowled a good line and length conceding only six runs with Matty taking another stumping off the last ball.

Neston won by 9 runs after an exciting game of cricket played in a good spirit with excellent individual performances by Tom Richardson, David Hurst and Matty Knight.

Neston 147/7 (T.Richardson 37, L Lewis 27, D Hurst 25, L Rowlands 4/25)
Chester B Hall 138/8 (A Millington 40*, C Blake 35, M Blake 21, D Hurst 5/17, M Knight 5 stumpings)

We play Chester again this Friday (21st) at home in the Cheshire Cup, 6.15pm start. All welcome.

9 May 2004 - U15'S BEAT TOFT - report by Don Hurst
Neston entertained Toft on Sunday and despite damp conditions both teams produced an entertaining game of cricket. Toft won the toss and asked Neston to bat first on a damp but drying wicket. Openers Tom Richardson and Laurence Lewis got Neston off to a great start hitting some lovely shots to reach 45 off 8 overs before Laurence was caught for a lively 23. David Hurst was next in and immediately proceeded to take apart the bowling for a superb 42* in no time. Ben Edwards went early for 2 and then Alistair Greenfield scored a quick 14. Tom soon followed after scoring a solid 31, leaving Ian Hoggart 7* and David Manchett 2* to take the total to 144/4 off our 25 overs. Ben Spanton taking 3/21 for Toft.

In reply Toft found the early going tough scoring 15 off the first 6 overs, mainly due to the fast and accurate opening burst from Ben Edwards and Ian Hoggart. Tom Stubbs then got going scoring an excellent 41* including two mighty sixes. Needham and Stenning continued to tick the score along but with Neston's bowlers bowling an excellent line and length, Toft eventually reached 118/2 off their alloted overs.

Another excellent all round performance from Neston which leaves us with 3 wins out of 4 and should put us in with a good chance of reaching the Championship Play Offs.

Neston 144/4 (David Hurst 42*, Tom Richardson 31, Laurence Lewis 23, A Greenfield 14, B Spanton 3/21)
Toft 118/2 (T Stubbs 41*, Stenning 24, Needham 20, D Hurst 1/16, D Manchett 1/25)

3 May 2004 - U15'S BACK ON THE WINNING TRAIL - report by Don Hurst
Monday 3rd May 2004
We had another away game, this time travelling to Northwich to play Winnington Park, where we played against a backdrop of the salt factories which dominate the ground.

Neston won the toss and decided to bat first. Laurence Lewis and Tom Richardson put on a quick 16 before Laurence (5) was bowled by a ball that pitched on leg and hit his off stump! Tom (13) then run himself out going for a quck single that was never on, 29/2. David Hurst and Ben Edwards then put on a partnership of over 80 with some big hitting before both retired on 40 not out. Matty Knight (41*), Alistair Greenfield (19) and Euan Morris (11) continued the onslaught until we had reached 192/4 off our 25 overs. An excellent batting performance which compensated for the day before.

In response Winnington Park lost 2 quick wickets to excellent bowling from Michael Russon. David Manchett and Matty Ayaz then both bowled superbly to leave Winnington on 33/6 before captain David Hurst decided to give other players an opportunity to bowl and Winnington Park eventually reached 79 A/O. A superb batting and bowling performance from everybody which leaves us in a reasonable position after three games, having won two and lost one.

Neston 192/4 (D Hurst 40*, B Edwards 40*, M Knight 41*, A Greenfield 19, T Richardson 13, E Morris 11)
Winnington Park 79 A/O (M Stankiewiecz 22, I Petch 17, M Russon 3/9, D Manchett 3/10, M Ayaz 2/21)

Roll on next week where we have Toft as visitors to Parkgate.

2 May 2004 - U15'S LOSE TO OULTON PARK - report by Don Hurst
Sunday 2nd May 2004
. On a lovely sunny morning, we travelled to the heart of Cheshire to play Oulton Park at one of the best grounds in the league. Oulton Park were asked to bat first on a good wicket with a small boundary on one side of the ground. Their two Cheshire openers quickly got into their stride with 52 off the first 10 overs with any loose balls being expertly dispatched to the short boundary. Unfortunately some of our bowlers didn't bowl well and bowled too many balls on the leg side which were severely punished. Tight bowling at the end by Ben Edwards and Tom Richardson restricted Oulton Park to 135/4 when it could have been a lot more.

In reply Neston got off to the worse start possible with both openers (Laurence Lewis and Tom Richardson) out without scoring, soon followed by David Manchett for 1. Neston were 1/3! David Hurst and Ben Edwards then attempted to start the innings with some quick singles and punished the bad ball to put on 55 for the next wicket before David (29) was caught going for another big hit. Ben kept going for his shots until he was eventually bowled for a excellent 34. Alistair Greenfield (14) and Ian Hoggart (12*) continued to tick the score along but when Alistair was out Neston's tailenders could not continue the run chase and we were eventually all out for 108 losing the match by 27 runs.

A disappointing result but we were playing against a side with 4 Cheshire players who all contributed in some way. A lesson to learn for some of our players in bowling line and length and batting straight.

Oulton Park 135/4 (J Guest 43*, R Moore 42*, T Richardson 2/11)
Neston 108 A/O (B Edwards 34, D Hurst 29, A Greenfield 14, I Hoggart 12*, C Williamson 5/22, R Moore 3/6)

27 April 2004 - U15' BRIGHT START - report by Don Hurst
The Under 15's commenced their season in the Cheshire County League on Sunday with a visit from Birkenhead Park.

On a glorious sunny morning on the back pitch, Neston's captain David Hurst won the toss and decided to field first. Accurate bowling from Ian Hoggart and Michael Russon put Birkenheads batsmen under pressure from the first ball and they quickly lost two wickets. David Manchett, Ben Edwards and Ewan Morris then took a wicket each and with Mathew Ayaz and Peter Van Berkum bowling a great line and length Neston resticted Birkenhead to 78/7 off their allocated 25 overs. Only Ben Taylor the Birkenhead captain offerered some form of resistance with a gritty 29.

In reply Tom Richardson and Laurence Lewis got into their stride quickly before Tom was caught by a superb catch at extra cover for 14. David Hurst and Laurence then proceeded to hit some lovely shots to all parts of the field and finish the game quite easily.

An excellent start to the season with some tight and accurate bowling from all 9 bowlers, and extremely positive batting, which is very encouraging for the season ahead.

Birkenhead Park 78/7 off 25 overs (Ben Taylor 29, Ian Hoggart 2/4)
Neston 80/1 off 12 overs (David Hurst 31*, Laurence Lewis 24*, Tom Richardson 14)

------------------------------- END OF 2003 SEASON---------------------------

29 November 2002 - WINTER NETS 2003
Indoor nets at Birkenhead Park have been booked for the following times in 2003 (n.b. we were unable to get the Monday night slot which we had in 2002) - Sunday nights from 7 to 8pm commencing 9th February for over 13's and Wednesday nights from 7 to 8pm commencing 12th February for under 13's.

------------------------------- END OF 2002 SEASON---------------------------

24 March 2002 - WIRRAL U13 K.O.
Neston have been invited to enter a team (or teams) in the Wirral Under 13 K.O. indoor competition, which will be held at the Port Sunlight Oval on Sunday April 13th between 2pm and 6pm. Spectators are welcome.

16th January 2002 - JUNIOR INDOOR NETS
Cricket coaching for Neston under 13 members will take place on Monday evenings from 6-7pm at Birkenhead Park, beginning on Monday 4th February (continuing until the first week in April). This is for all those who are eligible to play for the under 13, under 11 and under 9 teams this year.

Indoor Nets for Neston Cricket club juniors aged 13 and over will take place from 7-8pm on Sunday evenings at Birkenhead Park, beginning on February 3rd. This invitation is extended to all junior members who are eligible for the under 15 and under 17 teams this year.

Please do your best to attend and pass the word to any others in your age group at Neston CC. There will be a small fee for attendance to cover the cost of the net-hire. Please let me know if you are coming, or if for some reason you are unable to attend (It may be possible for me to make some other arrangements for you). Good luck in 2002 - it will be a good year for cricket!
Peter Joslin (email: cp.joslin@lineone.net)

------------------------------- END OF 2001 SEASON---------------------------

10th April 2001 - JUNIOR OUTDOOR NETS
Under 11's are on Mondays starting on 9 April (6.15pm)
Under 13's & 15's are on Wednesdays starting 11 April (6.15pm)

4th April 2001 - UNDER 13'S FLOODLIT RUNNERS UP - report from Don Hurst
Neston Under 13's have recently been involved in a floodlit 6 a side competition. All matches were played on the Multiplay at Bebington Oval over the last 4 Thursday evenings despite the wintery conditions!. The team was managed by Don Hurst and Chris Russon and consisted of the following boys:
Tom Hickley (Capt) - 13
Lloyd Murphy - 13
David Wallis - 13
Tom Richardson - 12
Michael Russon - 12
David Hurst - 11
Carl Perry - 11
We were grouped with Wallasey, Wirral and Parkfield. The other group were Upton, New Brighton, Caldy and Oxton. Despite fielding a number of boys who were a couple of years younger than our opponents, Neston managed to win their three games comfortably with notable performances from Tom Hickley (batting and bowling), David Hurst and Tom Richardson (bowling), Lloyd Murphy and David Wallis (wicket-keeping) and both Michael Russon and Carl Perry chipped in with crucial runs and wickets in all three games. We topped our group and faced Upton in the final. After a closely fought game and a great effort by our boys, we were eventually beaten by one run! (86-85)

Well Done to all the boys, we have some talented juniors at Neston CC!

14th August 2000 - UNDER 14 FESTIVAL NEWS
Thursday 10th August
Neston lost, disappointingly, in the semi-final to Caldy after restricting the home side to 79 (Tom Gorton took 4 for 13, and Owen Llewellyn 3 for 14, including a hat-trick!). When Neston batted they failed to get a good start and Tom Hollingsbee, coming in at number 7, again top-scored with 21.

Friday 11th August
The finals of the competition were played at Neston. Upton, who beat Neston in last year's final, were the winners again, beating Caldy convincingly. Neston had the consolation of a third place victory over Birkenhead Park, beating them for the second time in the week. Neston, batting first, scored 159 for 6, the highest score of the week (3 players each scored 38 - Hollingsbee, Llewellyn and Alastair Wilson) and then bowled out Birkenhead Park for 88. An excellent catch by Alex Yardley to dismiss the Park top-scorer, David Bulley, set off a collapse. Nick Carter was the pick of the Neston bowlers with 3 for 4 off 5 overs.

9th August 2000 - UNDER 14'S PROGRESS TO SEMI'S
Neston Under 14's yesterday reached the Wirral cricket festival semi-final after defeating New Brighton. NB were restricted to 79 all out off 26 overs (Wilson again taking 2 wickets, Yardley another 2) mainly due to some excellent fielding - 3 run-outs and 3 catches. Neston took their time after losing early wickets, but an aggressive 18 from Owen Llewellyn and a thoughtful 15 from Lloyd Murphy saw them to within 15 of the target. David Wallis finished it off with 3 fours in one over. The final will be played at Caldy on Thursday.

8th August 2000 - UNDER 14'S FESTIVAL
The Under 14 festival is now underway. Neston played their first game on Monday against Birkenhead Park. Neston won by 7 wickets after fielding in the rain for 30 overs (Alastair Wilson 3 for 26, and Owen Jones 2 for 35 were the main wicket-takers) and keeping Birkenhead Park to a score of 151 for 7. For Neston, Tom Hollingsbee opened the batting and scored an amazing 131 not out, out of a total of 152 for 3, in 27 overs. The next highest score was 4! Is this a record ?

10th June 2000 - UNDER 15'S THROUGH
The Under 15's are through to the quarter finals of the Cheshire Cup after beating Bunbury in a low scoring game. They will now travel to play Crewe Rolls Royce.

20th May 2000 - UNDER 13'S WIN INDOOR KNOCKOUT COMPETITION- Report by Peter Joslin Neston's under 13 cricketers started the season with a bang by winning the Wirral Under 13 Indoor Knockout Competition which took place at the Oval Leisure Centre on Sunday 16th April.

The Neston squad won all their matches against teams from Oxton, Birkenhead Park, Caldy and Upton, wreaking revenge on Upton for our defeat in the final of last year's under 14 Cricket Festival.

Each match was played between teams of six-a-side, each player bowling one over apiece (apart from the wicketkeeper), according to normal indoor cricket rules. The ball used was softer than the normal cricket ball so helmets did not have to be worn.

The squad consisted of the following players: Alastair Wilson (captain, seen here receiving his medal from Neil Perry) and in order from the left : Peter Carter, Alex Tyler, James Masters, Lloyd Murphy, David Wallis,and Owen Jones. Tom Hickley, last year's winner of the Charlie Swift trophy, also played but was absent from the photograph.
Photograph of winners

18th May 2000 - UNDER 15'S THROUGH IN BOWL OUT
Neston v Caldy - Cheshire Cup Under 15's - 16/5/2000

Neston 107-5 in 20 overs (S. Stokes 53)
Caldy 45-2 (11 overs)
match interrupted by rain, result decided by bowl out
Neston won bowl out 2-1 (N. Carter and O.Llewelyn hit for Neston).

15th May 2000 - UNDER 13'S BEAT WINNINGTON PARK - Report by Tom Gorton
Cheshire County League Under 13's - Neston v Winnington Park - Sunday 14th May, 2000

Winnington Park 93 for 7
Neston 94 for 6

Match Report by Tom Gorton
Neston lost the toss and bowled first. The Neston openers Alex Yardley and Alastair Wilson bowled tightly for the opening 8 overs getting a wicket each. Yardley got his wicket with a fantastic yorker that the batsman simply could not keep out. Wilson's wicket came quite luckily with the batsman playing on to his own wicket. As the openers had bowled out all their overs the leg spinners Owen Jones and Tom Gorton came on. Jones bowled well getting one wicket by forcing the batsman to come down the wicket and completely miss the ball. Gorton took an over to find his spot but from then on only conceded three runs in his last three overs. A change of bowling was needed and on came Ben Griffths a good medium pace bowler. He bowled well in the first over but gave away a lot of runs in his second. In between James Masters bowled a pacey quick bowler. Although he gave away lots of runs he claimed two valuable wickets. At the end of the 25 overs Winnington Park ended up with 94/7.

Neston came in to bat and the openers Tyler and Griffths picked up some valuable early singles. Unfortunately Griffths was unluckily caught out by Allcock. In came Wilson at number 3 and he and Tyler played some brilliant strokes and both had to retire at 26 and 28 respectively. Yardley and Gorton came in and both went back without having to trouble the scorers too much with 5 and 4 respectively. Yardley was caught and bowled and having skied it and Gorton was out to a pea roller!! Liam Ward was caught out first ball, and James Masters was again out to a pea roller!! Jones came in at number 8 and held the fort scoring slowly but sensibly. Henry Clarke having just recovered from a broken wrist was out for one run. James Hind was at number ten and he got one run without being out. The game ended with a Neston victory.

14th May 2000 - UNDER 15'S MAKE A PROMISING START - Report by Dave Carter
Neston Under 15's have begun their first campaign in the Cheshire County League with three wins and a loss, leaving them in good position to push for a place in the top two in the West Cheshire pool, which would put them into the playoffs for the league title.

The campaign began on Sunday April 30th against Grappenhall. Neston batted first and despite the wet outfield made steady progress through Elliot Berstock (38no) and Simon Stokes. The run rate was boosted by a rapid 35no from David Milligan and Neston finished on 119-4. In reply Grappenhall never seriously threatened and the innings was wrapped up by David Milligan (3-6), Tom Hollingsbee (3-0), Mark Garrett (2-13) and Nick Carter (1-16), Grappenhall finished with 84.

The following day, Bank Holiday Monday, Neston played away against a weakened Chester Boughton Hall "B" side. The innings followed a similar pattern, with Elliot Berstock (36no) and Mark Garrett (22) providing a solid foundation and a rapid 35no from David Milligan taking Neston to a total of 131-4. Chester dramatically slumped to 38 all out, with David Milligan taking 4 wickets, Tom Hollingsbee 2, and one each for Steve Carter, Stuart Hanna and Nick Hickley.

On Sunday 7th May Neston were defeated by a strong Chester Boughton Hall "A" side. The bowling and fielding were superb, with Owen Lllewelyn (2-15), Elliott Berstock (1-17), Steve Carter (1-18), Stuart Hanna (1-18) and David Milligan (1-18) all bowling well. However, chasing a modest total of 95, Neston never recovered from a slow start against tight Chester bowling which saw them at 24-2 after 15 of the allotted 25 overs. Despite a top score of 14 from Matthew Hardy, and some late hitting from Nick Hickley Neston were always behind the clock and finished 25 runs short.

Sunday 14th May saw a tense finish at Winnington Park. On a good batting track with a short boundary one end Neston batted well against some hostile Winnington Park bowling. Elliott Berstock again provided the foundation with 35no supported by a swashbuckling innings of 24 from Tom Hollingsbee and 31 from David Milligan. Neston finished on 138-6, which looked to be a winning total, however, the Winnington Park batting was strong, and they began to use the short boundary to good effect. Steady bowling from Steve Carter and Elliott Berstock (each 1-20) restricted the batsmen but they kept pace with the Neston run rate throughout the innings. Finally, with two overs to go, Winnington Park needed 14 to win, with two powerful hitters at the crease. With the senior Neston bowlers having used up their overs, it fell to Owen Llewelyn, who dismissed the two dangerous batsmen in his last over, and Nick Carter with a final over maiden to restrict Winnington Park to 134-6, a Neston victory by 4 runs in a match whose result was in doubt up to the final ball.

Dave Carter