HOW did the season finish for 'our' cricket teams?

Nathan Okell casts his eye over the performances of Alderley Edge, Lindow, Wilmslow, Wilmslow Wayfarers and Styal.

Alderley Edge:

Alderley Edge 1sts secured a comfortable mid-table finish in the ECB Premier League despite falling to a 2 wicket loss to Cheadle on the final day of the season.

Over the course of the campaign Edge secured 8 wins and lost only 4, with 2 losses coming in their final 2 matches.

Ultimately, a strong period of 7 games without defeat from the start of June to the middle of July helped Edge secure a strong league position with plenty to be encouraged by but also plenty to work on for next season.

Edge’s 2nds also enjoyed a comfortable season in their Premier Division, finishing in 5th place after 5 wins in their final 5 games.

This came off the back a disappointing 2 month period which saw Edge win only 2 of their 10 games between June and the start of August.

2018 did mark an improvement from last year by turning more draws into wins, however Edge must cut out the losses if they want to challenge higher up in the table.

Lindow:

Lindow 1sts enjoyed a successful campaign finishing in 3rd place in Division 2. However they narrowly missed out on a promotion spot by 49 points.

A fantastic run of 13 matches without defeat for almost 3 months between April and July gave Lindow hopes of promotion, but a mixed end to the season which saw them lose 4 of their last 7 games meant they fell narrowly short.

Despite this, Lindow can be proud of their efforts this season, with 12 wins and 5 losses being a solid return and scope to improve that next season.

The 2nds can also celebrate a solid 2018 campaign, finishing in 6th place in their 2nd Division.

Consistency was the biggest problem for Lindow after struggling to build up a good run of wins and a run of 4 straight defeats towards the end of July effectively ending their promotion hopes.

With a record of 9 victories, 8 losses and 4 draws, the goal for next season will be to build up a run of consecutive wins and use that momentum to push for a promotion place.

Wilmslow:

Wilmslow 1sts fell narrowly short of safety in the Division 2 table, and will be playing their cricket in the division below next season.

Even a victory on the final day against Stretton could not help the Squirrels avoid the drop, with the final league table putting them 3 points behind Middlewich.

The stats for the campaign will not be easy reading for Wilmslow fans, with victories in their opening and closing matches sandwiching a dismal period which saw them only win once in 18 games.

Despite losing a similar amount of games in 2017, the Squirrels could not turn draws into wins this season, dropping vital points which could have ensured their survival.

Wilmslow 2nds did avoid relegation from Division B East, but it was by the skin of their teeth after finishing level on points with relegated Langley.

The Squirrels struggled to match their performances in 2017, losing 12 games and winning 8, and enduring a torrid run of form between May and August in which they lost 11 in 14 games.

With safety ensured, Wilmslow must improve next season if they are to avoid relegation again.

Wilmslow Wayfarers:

Wilmslow Wayfarers 1sts finished their Division 3 season in 4th place, just missing out on promotion by 15 points.

Wayfarers started the season in strong fashion, winning their opening 4 matches, however experienced a poor run of form towards the end, losing 3 of their final 5 games.

11 wins in total is an improvement on their 2017 tally of 9, but more losses than the previous campaign hurt Wayfarers in their promotion push, with going up being a realistic target for next year.

Wayfarers 2nds also enjoyed a successful Division C East campaign, finishing in 5th place with 11 wins and 9 losses.

Wilmslow showed great consistency throughout the season, stringing a run of wins together on several occasions and never losing more than 2 games in a row.

The next step for Wayfarers is to push for promotion and regain their place in Division B which they lost in 2017.

Styal:

A comfortable mid-table finish was the reward for Styal after gaining promotion to Division 4 last season.

Styal won 10 and lost 10 in a fairly consistent year which is ultimately positive but with plenty of areas to work on for the 2019 campaign.

The goal for next year is to build on this year’s successes and push the teams above them for a chance of promotion.

Styal 2nds did not share the same successes as their 1sts, with the team finishing in 10th place in the Division C East table.

On a positive note, Styal have made strong improvements from their 2017 campaign, winning 7 and losing 11 this season as opposed to winning 2 and losing 12 last year.

The target for Styal next year is to carry on improving and start to climb the league table.