09/09/2026
Highfield CC 1st XI match report
Northop Hall CC 198-9 dec (55.0)
Highfield CC, Lancs 201-7 (58.4)
Highfield won by 3 wickets
A confident win for the 1st XI as we come towards the end of the season. Asked to chase after Northop Hall won the toss and batted, we restricted them to 198-9 declared and then showed the composure required to get over the line with three wickets and more than an over to spare.
Lahiru Wellalage and Jamie Darbyshire set the tone with the ball.
Wellalage’s 5-61 from 21 overs, including seven maidens, was the standout spell; Darbyshire backed him up with 4-59 from 20.
Between them they accounted for nine of the ten wickets that fell.
Carwyn Johnson’s 58 held the Northop Hall innings together, with useful contributions from Ben Slater (26) and Ben Hicks (20 not out), but we never let them get away.
Sam Rotherham and Muhammad Patel shared the new ball without reward but kept things honest at the other end.
Chasing 199, we were 35-2 and then 87-3, but Wellalage again took control of the day. His 61 from 75 balls, with eight fours, was the innings that won the match. Harry Moxham (34) added a valuable 66 with him for the fourth wicket before both fell at 153.
There was a brief wobble — 153-5 and 164-6 — as Paul Jenkins (4-68 from 28.4) and James Hurlin (3-100 from 24) kept asking questions, but Jamie Darbyshire (23 not out) and Oliver Jump (14 not out) saw us home with an unbroken stand.
Edwin Geary’s 25 and Michael Simpson’s 22 had given the chase an early platform.
It was a proper Liverpool Competition contest: long spells, wickets in clusters, and a chase that demanded patience as well as intent.
To finish 201-7 in 58.4 overs, after bowling 55 ourselves, was a strong collective effort.
Thanks to umpires John Bennett and Joe Parsons, our scorer Vicky Darbyshire, and our travelling support.
Days like this are better when the club is there with us. A good result to take into the closing weeks of the season.
This week we take on Southport & Birkdale on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. at Billinge Road 👍🏏🐿️
