1st XI vs Uppermill- Saturday 14th May

Thornham 1st XI got back to winning ways with a defeat of previously-unbeaten Uppermill.

On a cloudless day in Saddleworth, Thornham lost the toss and were put into field, on a pitch that looked like it may have a bit of life in it. That proved to be true as Matt Collins (2-36) and Anthony Clough (2-37) bowled well in tandem to reduce the hosts to 16-3, some good movement in the air and off the seam backed up by some good catching. A spirited partnership of 35 and then of 51 for the fourth and fifth wickets brought Uppermill back into the game but when Afzaal removed Adam Halton for 46, Thornham were able to squeeze. Excellent spells of bowling from Kobe Allison (2-14) and spinner Afzaal (4-26) saw Uppermill bowled out for 121 before the curly fries had even gone into the oven.
After a shortened tea break, Thornham set about the run chase. Aamir Afzaal was watchful, his first three scoring shots being 6,4,4 – including putting opening bowler Kyle Hogg on the pavilion roof. Chris Heywood also found the boundary before his pocket caused uproar – a huge shout for caught behind being turned down. Heywood departed for 10 soon after, an LBW decision that left the opener shaking his head and looking at his bat. Wickets then tumbled at regular intervals with Micklethwaite and Hardy making 4 and 0. Afzaal on the other hand continued to cut loose, evidently keen to get home in time for the FA Cup Final or Eurovision. When Hogg finally dismissed him he had made 83 off just 38 balls, a mere 80 of them in boundaries. That brought Joe Pattison to the wicket, following his illegitimate 50 the week before. He stuck around as Thornham lost Howarth and then, with the scores tied, Allison. A firm boot down to third man from Matt Collins saw Thornham win by 4 wickets and get their season back on track.
A big thank you to Uppermill for their hospitality and a great tea. We meet them again, this time at Rochdale Road, on Sunday 29th May in the cup.

Thornham vs South West Manchester Saturday 21st May 2022

Thornham won back to back games for the first time this season with a 7 wicket win over South West Manchester at Rochdale Road, following last week’s defeat of Uppermill.

Having won the toss Captain Paddy McMahon elected to field on a wicket that would offer some assistance to the bowlers. Openers Matt Collins and Joe Pattison used the conditions to their favour as the South West Manchester batters struggled.

It was Collins who made the breakthrough having Mayho caught at mid off by Micklethwaite. This was closely followed by Pattison who nicked off Daasgupta with the score on 15. Tight line and length bowling saw few runs from the visitors and it was Collins again who quickly removed Ahmed, Nabipur and Javaid leaving South West in serious trouble.

Both seamers tirelessly ran in for their full allotment of overs from each end with Collins finishing on 4-30 and Pattison 1-24 from his 15 over, a 30 over combination which contained 13 maidens.

Heywood who replaced Pattison soon got into the action having had Nauman caught by Skipper McMahon and Haneef caught by Micklethwaite as South West tried to push the score along. Overseas Allison joined the attack and with that saw both him and Heywood bowl out South West Manchester for 130 which was more than it was looking thanks to a partnership from Nana and Dias.

The wicket still kept the bowlers interested and with that saw the early departures of McClure who was making his first appearance in the season for the 1sts after some impressive 2nd XI scores and Micklethwaite who was sharply caught at Square leg. Pro Afzaal was next to depart to send nerves through the dressing room but mature knocks and an unbroken partnership between Scott Howarth and Aussie Jake Hardy helped the home side cruise to victory. Hardy elegantly played shots around the ground whilst Howarth grafted to ensure a bonus point victory was confirmed.

A busy weekend for the club sees the Thunder at home on Friday, then the First XI play Oldham at home on Saturday in the league whilst welcoming Uppermill on Sunday in the first round of the cup.

2nd XI vs Blackley Saturday 14th May 2022

Thornham 2nd team took on Blackley 1st team at Rochdale Road. Blakley won the toss and elected to bat first. A bold decision on a very green track.

Thornham missed an early chance, dropping Blakley opener Waheed at slip off the very first ball he faced. Blakley made a promising start reaching 26 relatively comfortably with both openers entering double figures.

But just when it looked like Thornham would be made to pay, Thornham opening bowler Safwan Eshan got the breakthrough, a great catch by Malik Pervaiz in support.

From here on in, wickets fell every few overs with very little resistance from the Blakley batsmen.

Thornham opening bowler Arron Hall tore into the Blakley top and middle order, taking 4 wickets for 18 runs, including clean bowling 3 Blakley batsmen. Hall narrowly missed out on a hat trick during this spell.
Safwan Eshan continued to support taking a further wicket, as did all rounder Malik Pervaiz.

Mohammed Adnan polished off the Blakley tail, taking an incredible 3 wickets for no runs from just 11 balls, including a very difficult caught and bowled. Captain Lewis Hughes ended the Blakley innings with a fantastic diving catch at slip for Adnans third wicket.

Blakley all out for just 66 in the 22nd over.

Thornham lost an early wicket in their run chase with opener Tom Smith chopping on to his stumps second ball. Alec Mclure steadied the ship before being dismissed for 11, caught behind from a very good ball from Blakley bowler Saleem.

However Blakley had little else to celebrate as Thornham all rounder Mohammed Adnan blasted 45 runs from just 38 balls, 44 of which were from boundaries. Thornham reaching 69 for just 2 wickets in 12 overs.

A great win and another bonus point in the bag as Thornham go joint second in the league.

2nd XI vs Tottington St Johns Saturday 21st May 2022

Thornham 2nd Team took on Tottington St John's away on a warm afternoon in Bury.

Captain Lewis Hughes won the toss and elected to bat. Thornham got off to a slow start, with their first run coming in the 7th over as Tottington bowled an extremely tight spell.

Runs were not easy to come by and Thornham openers Tom Smith and Matt Mansfield had to dig deep to see the shine off the new ball.

Matt Mansfield fell to Tottington opening bowler Matthew Bradshaw in the 13th over with the score on 23, Bradshaw fresh from his remarkable 9 wicket haul last Saturday.

Tom Smith fell just 4 runs later, caught and bowled by veteran slow bowler Simon Marsh.

Captain Lewis Hughes at number 3 continued to battle through the tight spell. Eventually, after the drinks break the runs started to flow. Hughes striking 7 4's and 2 6's on his way to 49 before chipping one straight back to bowler Paul Meehan.

Malik Pervaiz manoeuvred the field well and struck some lusty blows on his way to 43 not out. Muhammed Adnan, Kammy Ditta and Umair Ahmed in particular all chipped in and Thornham ended on an above par 188 for 7 from their 45 overs.

Tottington got off to a strong start in their run chase with Brett Collins moving quickly to 37, including 17 from one over. But Thornham Bowlers Aaron Hall and Mohammed Adnan continued their impressive form and took 3 wickets each as Tottington started to crumble. Arron Hall removed Tottington's top three Batsmen with some impressive inswing bowling.

The Tottington middle order resisted briefly with number 5 Kevin Hothersall also striking 37 including some big hits.

Thornham turned to spinner Marcus Young, back in the side and raring to get the ball in hand. Young took 4 wickets for just 8 runs, including bowling Hothersall around his legs to wrap up Thornham's victory by a huge 80 runs.

Thornham wicket keeper Sam Holloway continued to impress with two catches and two stumpings. A strong team performance all round as Thornham with their 4th consecutive game and go second in the table.

3rd XI vs Tottington St Johns Sunday 15th May

Thornham 3s win in thriller.

The 3s travelled to Crompton Meadows in their latest fixture, in a game which ebbed and flowed, and was a great advert for village cricket.

Skipper Collinge won the toss and elected to bat. A lightning start by openers Obaid and Sarfraz saw Thornham 48 for no loss, before Sarfraz was bowled attempting to hit the ball into the river Irwell.

2 quick wickets fell, with Collinge and Maloney making dj gle figures before a composed 22 off 23 from Horrodge accelerated the scoring once more, before being run out by Obaid.

Another tumble of wickets saw Thornham 101-5 with the game in the balance. A special partnership from Fitzpatrick and Canavan saw the game swing again to Thornham's favour, finishing 166 all out.

The second innings started much the way of the first, with loose balls being punished by the TSJ openers. A bowling change brought a wicket 1st ball off Canavan.

Young next joined the party bowling a sharply turning delivery to skittle the number 3 batsman. Drinks saw TSJ 73-3, with the game able to go either way.

Young got the key wicket of Zafar with Fitzpatrick taking an amazing over the shoulder catch. Some tight bowling by Asif took the game away from TSJ, silencing a well oiled crowd, before Sarfraz had a token over, taking the final wicket.

Great win and a great game.

3rd XI vs Walshaw Sunday 22nd May 2022

Thornham edge out Walshaw in run fest.

If you had said Sundays wicket would have 408 runs in it, I'd have called you a liar, so funny is the game of cricket.

Skipper Collinge lost the toss and was put in. Something given recent form was favourable. Obaid and Sarfraz kicked off as the previous 2 games, being 45 for no loss after 10 overs.

Sarfraz fell for 44 just before drinks, with skipper Collinge falling shortly after drinks for a 0.

Walshaw began to take hold of the game with 1st change bowler Khurram, nipping the ball around.

A change in the order brought Umair for an IPL-esque cameo making 45 off 33 balls.

The final highlight of a topsy-turvy innings was Obaid finally hitting 103*. The rest of the team grateful for getting a jug post game.

The second innings started tightly. Both Fitzpatrick and Asif bowled through with Walshaw 61-1 at drinks. Game done right?

Wrong! A change of bowling brought more wickets and Washaws sloggers, who accelerated the scoring no matter what. Thankfully the farmer has filled up the culvert, otherwise several balls may have been washed away.

With tired legs and shell-shocked minds, Thornham reached the final over with 29 to defend. Which Umair defended with some expert death bowling.

Another great advert for village cricket.