White Coppice 1st XI made it three wins in four games after an exciting 57-run victory over their bogey team Bretherton.
Groundsman Phil Dewhurst prepared another excellent track, which saw a combined 411 runs scored with 13 sixes.
Coppice made five changes following last week’s defeat at Hoghton, including a 1stXI debut for Mike Houghton and a welcome return for Jordan Halliday.
Skipper Jake Smalley won the toss and decided to bat first against a Bretherton team that did the double over Coppice in 2024.
However, opener Bobby Wood was dismissed for a quickfire 15 along with Usmaan Akram as the home side slipped to 16-2.
Bretherton’s opening bowlers, including ex-Coppice player Luca Tricarico, were very economical and Halliday (39 off 68 balls) and Ryan Adderley (54 off 95 balls) shared a crucial third wicket partnership of 90 to take the score to 106.
Adderley’s dismissal was the first time he’d been out in a competitive match this season giving him an incredible average of 241 after scores of 88*, 48*, 51* and 54.
Antony Dark was dismissed for a rare duck but Mike Houghton (38 off 31 balls) and Ibby Akram (19 off 21) combined before skipper Smalley weighed in with a blistering 40 not out off 29 balls, including three sixes and four fours.
It was the 29-year-old’s second highest score for Coppice after his 43 against Leyland 4ths in 2022 and saw his team to an imposing 234-7.
In reply Usmaan Akram and Ian Aldred restricted Bretherton to just 10 runs off the first eight overs before Stuart Iddon (28) and Tom Gregson (26) steadied the ship and took the score to 63-1.
Antony Dark, who went for 13 in his first over after being hit for two sixes, exacted his revenge by dismissing Iddon and Ali Dolbear in successive balls.
When Gregson went five runs later Bretherton were 68-4.
Sam Conron kept his side in the game with 42 off 39 balls before Aldred dismissed him, courtesy of one of two catches by the ever reliable Wood.
Dark finished with figures of 4-53 while Ibby Akram chipped in with 3-43 as Bretherton were dismissed for 177 by the first ball of the 38th over.
The 12 points sees Coppice climb the table to 3rd, behind leaders Leyland and Chorley.
· White Coppice 2nds lost by 77 runs to unbeaten Gregson Lane 2nds in their Division 7 clash.
Jeff Smith captained in the absence of Martin Cuerden as Phil Caswell, Jack Dalziel, Syed Bukhari and Akshit Jagnani made their debuts.
Gregson Lane won the toss and batted first but their total of 166-4 from 40 overs was boosted by 44 extras, including 22 wides.
Coppice’s bowling attack toiled in the sun with the wickets shared out between Harry Astley (1-43 off 10 overs); Anoop Appu (1-17 off five); Bukhari (1-38 off 10); and Chris Dale (1-24 off five).
Gregson Lane opener Peter Woodman batted 129 balls for an undefeated 53 with four fours. It was the second time this season he’d batted through the full 40 overs.
In reply, only Smith (33 off 50 balls) and Jagnani (17) reached double figures as Coppice were bowled out for 89 with Paul Jackson taking 5-15.
· White Coppice’s Sunday XI lost by seven wickets to Hebden Bridge side Little Valley but there were plenty of positives to take from the performance.
They fielded a mixed team of talented youth and wily experience.
After a solid start from Akshit Jagnani (22 off 39 balls) Coppice slipped to 46-4 before Tom Bramhall and Adam Mannan shared a 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Bramhall hit 40 off 48, including one huge six out the ground, while Mannan on debut hit a quickfire 30 off 26 with five fours and one maximum. His performance was all the remarkable as it was his first game in 10 years.
Phil Caswell banished his demons from the previous day’s golden duck by scoring 9 runs but Jack Dalziel, in his second game of the weekend (and indeed his life), was bowled first ball.
In reply, Little Valley’s openers Pat Barmby and Mike Jones put on 32 runs for the first wicket, with Barmby scoring 31 of them.
Experienced Jones dug in to score four not out off 49 balls before retiring.
Club chairman Paul Dobson, fresh from accidentally hitting Hoghton’s umpire on the head with a stray throw last week, was in the wars himself on Sunday. The makeshift wicketkeeper demolished the stumps in an attempt at a run-out – despite the fact the ball was nowhere near him!!
It was an eventful match for Dobbo, who earlier hit 16 – his third joint highest score in his 13th season at the club. He also didn’t concede a single bye behind the stumps.
From 45-2, Little Valley raced to 150-3 with Aquin Alam hitting an unbeaten 50. Chris Hoyle took 2-46.