Objective reached for Toft after day of drama (From Knutsford Guardian)

Objective reached for Toft after day of drama

1:30pm Thursday 20th September 2012 in Sport By Andrew Simpson

TOFT will play in the county league’s top tier for a tenth successive season after avoiding relegation on a dramatic final day.

The Knutsford outfit could not deny Nantwich a third successive Chapel Press Cheshire County League Premier Division title, but scored enough points in a 46-runs reverse to preserve their status. Their four-points haul, a reward for bowling out the Dabbers for 126, resulted in the relegation of Urmston despite their crushing 103-runs win over Oxton.

The two teams were tied on points, but Toby Drummond’s men stay up as a result of winning more matches, two of those in the past fortnight of the campaign.

Toft had Nantwich in trouble at 70-6 thanks to the combined efforts of Jimmy Lomas (6-82) and Rob Jones (3-25), only for Jimmy Warrington (29) and Sam Hunt (21) to push up the total.

The hosts were on course for a humiliating defeat after collapsing to 7-5 before England junior international Jones (28) and Ed Stubbs (21) at last offered resistance.

Chris Connolly (5-27) and left-arm spinner Ollie Griffiths (2-9 off 12 overs) halted the innings at 80 all out, but there was reason for both teams to be cheerful.

Toft seconds celebrated too after winning a third league title in the past four seasons, this time retaining their Premier Division crown by a single point.