GRAPPENHALL made it four games in the Cheshire County League Premier Division in a high-scoring game against Bramhall that went down to the wire.

With skipper Adam Roylance injured, bowler Sam Guest took over captaincy duties and invited the visitors to bat first having won the toss at Broad Lane.

Guest opened the bowling himself and dismissed both Bramhall openers early as Grappers made a good start to the game.

The visitors rebuilt thanks largely to a century from Daniel Lamb, but the hosts kept things tight and the score was 140-3 after 43 overs.

However, Iftikhar Naseer smashed 76 from just 35 balls to lead Bramhall to an imposing 268-7.

Guest and Owen Lynch both took three scalps, with Gaz Burns taking the other wicket to fall.

With the bat, Grappers recovered from the early loss of James McCoy as Pete Barnes and Ben Bodha put on a solid partnership for the second wicket.

After Bodha had retired injured, Barnes carried on to reach 72, while Luke McCoy hit a quickfire 48 in support.

Burns also smashed 39 from 28 deliveries and Bodha was able to come back in, but wickets fell regularly to leave wicketkeeper Dan Osborne and Albert Pennington, the two youngest players in the side, at the crease.

Needing seven from the last over, Osborne hit two boundaries to secure a three-wicket victory for Grappers, who sit seventh in the table ahead of a double header this weekend.

They travel to Nantwich, the side directly above them on Saturday, before turning their attention to the Cheshire Cup on Sunday with a trip to Chester Boughton Hall.

The seconds were comfortable victors at Bramhall on Saturday thanks in no small part to a superb bowling performance.

On a slow wicket that did not provide the Grappers attack with much assistance, opening bowlers Ross Arrowsmith and Josh Hayes grafted away in the heat and were eventually rewarded The pair did the majority of damage as Bramhall were dismissed for just 94, with Arrowsmith finishing with 5-20 and Hayes taking 4-36.

Steve Rooney picked up the other Bramhall wicket as Grappers were set a simple run chase.

Hayes and Will Sharp opened the batting and put on 39 before Sharp's dismissal, which was followed by both Iain Wright and James Jenkinson falling cheaply.

However, Dave Tully joined Hayes to steady the ship and when the latter fell for 33, the former remained unbeaten on 23 at the end as Grappers won by a comfortable, six-wicket margin.

The thirds lost ground in their title push as they were comprehensively beaten by table-topping Sale.

Grappers lost wickets regularly batting first, with skipper David Seed's 26 being the top score as they closed their innings on 160-9 from 45 overs.

Sale's openers got them off to a flying start and put them on course for victory before Grappers' bowlers briefly applied the breaks.

Seed and Akshat Pranesh took a wicket each, with another falling to a run-out, but Sale reached their target with no further loss of wickets.

The seconds host Warrington on Saturday, while the thirds visit Alderley Edge on Sunday.