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Sale won a low-scoring and tensely-fought game against Tattenhall on Saturday that gave them a much-needed 21 points, moving them just 1 point above the league relegation zone. With three games to play the season is coming to an extremely close finish at the foot of the table and Sale will need all their fighting spirit to survive.
However, there was plenty of that spirit in evidence in the second innings of this most recent game as they defended a very modest total of 116. Without Kamran Mohammed's fine knock of 61 that total would have made the reply academic, but his defiant 150 minute innings gave Sale a chance of a result. Skipper Matt Millward opened the bowling with leg spinner Rick Halkon and the pace of Rashid Jamil, a combination that initially looked as though it would cause some problems on a slow and difficult wicket ..... but were there still too few runs to play with? With the score at 71 for 3 the answer seemed to be yes, but then within 3 overs the game was transformed by two wickets each to these bowlers that left Tattenhall struggling on 74 for 7. Halkon bowled particularly well at the Kingston Drive end, his nagging length causing much frustration amongst the visitors' batsmen. Dobson knuckled down and helped to take the score to 93 before the next wicket fell, a slip catch off Halkon. Jamil immediately grabbed an lbw to claim his fifth wicket and the last pair now needed 23 off 13 overs. Further resistance by Dobson took the score to 108 but then with 15 balls left Halkon got one through the guard of last man Sandford as he drove for vital runs, and the local side were able to celebrate success by 8 runs after a run of games where they been so close to victory.
Halkon bowled unchanged for a marathon 27 overs and took 5 for 39. Jamil's 5 wicket haul off 21 overs cost 45 runs. More of the same please in the final games of the season !!
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