Crosby maintained the pressure on Peel after a home win against Valkyres, taking advantage while Peel sat out the weekend’s round of matches to equal their six points at the top of the Weekend Premier League.  

Cronkbourne consolidated third place with a comfortable win against Finch Hill.  

Valkyres won the toss and elected to put Crosby in to bat, a decision which looked to have backfired when Jamie Brown and Martyn Oates added 77 for the first wicket.   

Although Oates was out for 36, Carl Hartmann and Brown added a further 83 for the second wicket to put Crosby in a commanding position and they eventually set Valkyres a target of 299 in the 40-over match.  

Valkyres wicket keeper Muhammad Salman took the fight to Crosby with a battling 66 but wickets fell regularly at the other end and, despite Waj Hussain’s 36, Valkyres fell well short of the target, losing by 77 runs.  

In the Weekend Premier League’s other match on Saturday, Cronkbourne - batting first - reached 220 for the loss of eight wickets in their 40 overs. Opening batters Harishankar and Aakash Radhakrishnan put on 140 for the first wicket. 

Although Finch Hill battled back with brother and sister Sam and Lucy Barnett picking up wickets and Spencer Clarke picking up three wickets and a run out, Joel Williams hit 23 as Cronkbourne eventually reached 220.    

In reply Finch Hill were skittled out for 108, with Ryder Spencer picking up four wickets and Jake Turner three as Lucy Barnett was top scorer for Finch Hill with 22.  

Castletown stay top of Division One after Cronkbourne conceded their game, while Peel won a close match against Ramsey in their 30-over head-to-head.  

Peel chose to field first and Ramsey reached 207 for seven from their 35 overs, with Luke Ward top scorer with 40.  

Will Bayley dominated Peel’s reply with 112 from 97 balls, which included eight fours and seven sixes as Peel reached the target in the 35th over with four balls to spare.  

In Division Two, Castletown and Valkyres both enjoyed straightforward wins against Finch Hill and Ramsey respectively.   

Castletown’s Alexander Crowe hit 78 from 85 balls in their total of 187 for eight and Zac Heunis then swept through the Finch Hill batting with seven wickets for only eight runs as Finch Hill were all out for 34.  

Fifties from Naeem and Jeyabalasundaram helped Valkyres to a total of 231 and Ramsey fell well short - all out for 77 – with Syed picking up five wickets. 

SIMON CRELLIN