Chirk win again as all-rounder Swarbrick delivers six of the best

SHROPSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET LEAGUE

DIVISION ONE

Chirk 1st XI (24) 194-10 Lilleshall 1st XI (5) 162-10

All through autumn, winter and into spring he scores goals, but now the summer is here Andrew Swarbrick’s business is runs and wickets.

The Chirk all-rounder produced his best performance of the season to date as he picked up 6-51 in his team’s 32-run victory over Lilleshall on Saturday.

Scorer of 58 goals for North East Wales League Championship Division winners Ruabon Rovers last season and a former Welsh Cup semi-final hat-trick hero with Cefn Druids, Swarbrick’s cricketing skills came to the fore at Holyhead Road.

Lilleshall won the toss and put the North Wales hosts in. Early on, Chirk were in bother at 24-3.

Wynn Jones (23) and Nick Flack steadied the ship before the latter put on 41 with Swarbrick (24) for the fifth wicket.

Flack went on to make 51 before good runs down the order from skipper James Carter (34) and Mark Shaw (25) helped the hosts to 194 all out in 42.3.

Best bowler for Lilleshall was the charmingly named Charlie Conquest, who scooped 5-54.

Reminds one of the fictitious TV channel UK Conquest on which the legendary Alan Partridge presented Skirmish, a military-based quiz. A-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

In reply, Lilleshall found themselves in muddy waters at 38-5 as Swarbrick and Flack ripped through the upper order.

The visitors did battle back, Oli Todd making 51, Chris Tait 41 and skipper Ian Dawes – definitely not the former Bangor City manager and now at Tranmere Rovers – 24, but they still ended up short on 162 all out.

Swarbrick’s final figures were 6-51 off 12.4, while Flack claimed 3-45 off 14 and Jonathan Phillips took 1-25 from a tight 11 overs.

Chirk 1st XI will travel to Worfield 2nd XI, a place below them in sixth, next Saturday aiming to keep their good run of form on the boil.

• No scorecard is yet available from Chirk 2nd XI’s game at Sentinel 3rd XI and the scores on the league website has the Welsh side down as notching more runs than their opponents, even though the Shrewsbury hosts are referred to as winners. More detail to come hopefully.