GRAPPENHALL were beaten by Bowdon at Broad Lane in the Cheshire County ECB Premier League on Saturday, as they were bowled out for 70 runs.

Winning the toss, Grappenhall inserted their visitors who quickly succumbed to 41 for 6 with Josh McClelland bowling admirably and taking 3 for 25, while Sam Guest also took two early wickets, finishing up with 2 for 48.

With the wicket getting easier Bowdon`s batsmen dug in and put together a stand of 78 before the partnership was broken by Ian Barnes, courtesy of a fine catch in the deep by Jack Critchley.

The innings then came to an abrupt end with Gaz Burns, who bowled a good 12-over spell, taking 2 for 22, and Barnes finishing with 2 for 4, as Bowdon were bundled out for 121 after 48 overs.

With Grappenhall`s required run rate of barely two an over it should have been a comfortable chase, but what ensued was the team`s worst batting effort of the season.

Of the first eight batsmen only one, Burns, 16, got into double figures, while a combination of poor shot selection and not reading the situation accounted for the rest as the team subsided to 44 for 8.

Thereafter, were it not for a bright and breezy 22 from Sam Baxter and a typically resolute 10 from Critchley, the match would have been over even sooner.

The innings closed on 70 all out in the 27th over of the innings continuing Grappenhall’s poor form of recent weeks.