Grappenhall's winning run ends with a six-wicket defeat to Oulton Park

In an enticing match-up that saw second-placed Grappers entertain the team directly behind them in the Cheshire County Cricket League Division One and Oulton’s win reduced the gap to three points.

On a green wicket at Broad Lane, home skipper Adam Roylance lost the toss and his team were asked to bat first.

Roylance opened the batting but was dismissed early along with James McCoy and Albert Pennington to leave them hanging perilously on 26-3.

That brought Jamie Bye and Pete Barnes together and they set about steadying the ship before Barnes was disastrously run-out for 28.

Ryan Ninan was Bye’s new partner and he tried to continue the rebuild but was eventually dismissed for 20.

Bye was belligerent for his innings of 40, but wickets continued to fall around him as the hosts were bowled out for just 129.

The Grappers bowlers set about defending their meagre total with great persistence, but things were not going their way and the Oulton Park openers put on 60 before Ninan eventually took the first wicket.

Ninan finished with two wickets, with one each for Gaz Burns and Alex Matthews, but the visitors reached their target with relative ease.

The seconds and thirds were both victorious at the weekend, with the second team scoring an impressive 111-run victory at league leaders Upton.

Despite slipping to 2-2 early on, Ben Bodha’s knock of 98 helped Grappers to 242-4 batting first, with Iain Wright also lending ample support with 87.

With the ball, spinner Matt Titchard led the way with 5-29 as the hosts were dismissed for just 131.

The thirds welcomed Marple on Sunday and ran out comfortable 51-run victors after James Jenkinson’s knock of 90 helped them set a victory target of 222.

The visitors never got close as Joshua Hayes took 4-44 to help dismiss them for 170.

The first team travel to Sale on Saturday, while the seconds face the same opponents at home while the thirds visit Didsbury on Sunday.