ALDERLEY Edge captain Mark Currie starred on his return to the Cheshire Minor Counties side as they romped to a 211-run victory at Herefordshire in their opening match in the Western Division.

Currie, playing his first game for the county since being released from Old Trafford, starred with a superb 71 in Cheshire's second innings, vital runs which allowed the visitors to set their hosts an imposing 414 to win on a difficult batting pitch.

The Moss Lane man's fine knock came at just the right time for Cheshire as they looked to bat Herefordshire out of the game having dominated for most of the match.

And the former Poynton youngster and Cheshire junior is now looking forward to playing for the senior side again.

"I didn't bat that well in the first innings, but I was pleased with the way I batted in the second," said Currie.

"Things didn't work out for me with Lancashire, but now I've got the chance to play for Cheshire and see if I can be successful for them. I'm really looking forward to the season. It was nice to win our first game. I thought we played very well."

Quick wickets on Monday evening at Kingsland left Herefordshire reeling at 87-4 and it didn't take long for Cheshire to wrap up victory, winning the three-day match with two sessions to spare.

Nathan Dumelow, the former Derbyshire all-rounder, finished with match figures of 9-96, while ex-Lancashire star Chris Schofield struck a brilliant first-innings 100.