CAN DENBIGH FORGE A PROMOTION PUSH FROM DIVISION ONE THIS SEASON?
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IT certainly wasn't a day for batsmen as Chirk edged out Denbigh in their big Division One top-of-the-table clash.

With just a handful of points between the high-flying rivals going into Saturday, this was the division's match-of-the-day.

If Denbigh skipper Ben Wilcox-Jones calls "heads", you know it's going to come down as tails - and so it proved again at Chirk as the Ystrad Road captain failed to improve his toss-winning tally of two for 2008.

As with a number of matches already in 2008, the toss proved crucial as fourth-placed Denbigh quickly found themselves on the back foot.

Gerallt Lyall and John Lee Rowlands went cheaply - both victims of Edmund Hughes - and when South African star James Hobbs departed for 19, Denbigh were in the unusual situation of struggling on 22-3.

That quickly turned into 34-4, but then came the fightback from skipper Wilcox-Jones and the promoted Lee Mason.

The pair compiled an important 44-run fifth wicket stand to drag the visitors right back into the game, but the dismissal of the Denbigh captain heralded a lower order collapse.

Wilcox-Jones said: "When I was in I was looking at 130-140 and I was going to go for the full 52 overs."

As it turned out, Denbigh's innings was halted on just 100 at the end of over number 44.

They lost their last six wickets for just 23 runs, despite the best efforts of Mason (24), while Wilcox-Jones picked up the Peter Glynn Denbigh man of the match award for a stubborn 29.

Nick Flack was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-12 as he ran through the tail, while Edmund Hughes picked up three top-order wickets.

Defending just 100, Denbigh knew their bowlers had to strike early to keep them in with a sporting chance.

Gerallt Lyall took heed and snapped up both Chirk openers cheaply, but a third-wicket stand of 59 between Nick Flack and Andrew Swarbrick (21) effectively took the game out of Denbigh's reach.

The hugely impressive Harrison Jones spun his way to the prized wicket of Flack - for 41 - while fellow spinner James Hobbs joined Jones to instigate a desperate Denbigh fightback.

From 76-2, Chirk were nervously reduced to 95-7 as Jones (1-22) and Hobbs (3-13) threatened an unlikely Denbigh win.

But Shaun Jones and Dave Kelshaw just saw Chirk home to a sixth win of the summer, which meant Denbigh had to be satisfied with a four-point losing haul.


CAN DENBIGH FORGE A PROMOTION PUSH FROM DIVISION ONE THIS SEASON?
LET US KNOW BY POSTING YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.