KNUTSFORD’S seconds got themselves out of the bottom two despite defeat against Langley in Cheshire League Division C South and Central on Saturday.

They constructed a decent total – a best of the season 206-7 in their 45 overs – but were overhauled in the 44th over by the hosts for the loss of five wickets.

The performance earned Knutsford 13 points, allowing them to climb above Haslington who gained eight points from a draw at Winnington Park.

Skipper Darragh Downey (68no) led by example, with four contributions in the 20s from Abin Abraham, Zain Ali, Alan Hills and Adeel Bhatti allowing the scoring to tick along.

Langley developed a strong reply, with skipper Richard Hughes (34) and Steven Boon (46) getting them off to a fine start. With Isaac Anderson (45) maintaining the momentum the one wicket apiece from Bhatti, Siddharth Kohli and Ashish Abraham alongside two run outs was not enough.