It was another vital game for Alderley Edge in the Cheshire Premier League last Saturday as they battle against relegation and visited the team at the bottom of the league, Oulton Park, in a crucial game that both sides were determined to win.

Edge batted first and got off to a good start as Mark Currie and Alan Day got the visitors up to 50 for the first wicket, scoring at five runs per over.

Currie scored 28 and Day went on to get a fine 43 and put on another 50 partnership with Edge number three Jon Steele for the second wicket.

Steele is in tremendous form at the moment and finished only two runs short of scoring a second successive century in the Premier League.

There were other useful contributions of 24 from Jonny Usher and 20 from Adam Wildig as Edge closed at 278-9 after 55 overs.

But with Oulton’s ground being the smallest in the league, there was a feeling that they should have scored over 300 and their total was vulnerable if one of the home side’s players could post a big total.

Edge made early inroads in to the Oulton Park batting and when Lancashire’s Louis Bentley was run out for three it looked like Alderley might be on the way to securing a vital win.

However, Park’s opener Martyn East was batting well and he started to punish the Edge attack when there was any loose balls as he dispatched an amazing 13 fours, and nine sixes.

The last over arrived with Park needing just seven.

A six off the first ball from East brought the scores level and although he was run out for a superb 161 off the next ball going for the winning run, Park scrambled home off the next ball to win by two wickets with just three balls to spare.

Edge skipper Jason Whittaker took three wickets but it had been a difficult fixture for the Alderley bowlers.

Edge still have a 20-point gap over Oulton and Grappenhall with just four games left as all three sides strive to avoid relegation

Another key game this coming Saturday sees Didsbury visiting Moss Lane.