A heroic knock from veteran Dave Fitzsimmons wasn’t enough to stop Hyde from falling to a six-wicket defeat at Chester Boughton Hall on Saturday.
Fitzsimmons’ 78 not out was his best Cheshire County Cricket League innings since 2018, but it came in the wake of a calamitous start from his teammates.
Luke Young, the league’s leading batsman, could only add 7 runs to his haul, with teenage opener Liam Grindlay soon joining him in the pavilion when Richard Moore trapped him lbw for 4.
Ryan O’Brien became the former Cheshire bowler’s third victim, being caught behind for a duck, followed by captain Tom Partridge and Adam Worrall for Moore’s fifer, who closed his stint with 5-31.
Hyde’s torrid day at the crease showed no signs of abating when Andrew Jackson fell for an uncharacteristic 4 runs, but Fitzsimmons came in to rally the troops.
He hit 12 boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 78, helping Max Harsham to reach 37 – his second highest score of the season – and Aussie pro Liam Bowe to 27, by far his best showing with the bat in Hyde colours.
The visitors saw out their 50 overs on 205-8, however the Filkins Lane outfit were rarely troubled in their reply.
Alex Money was the first of Luke Young’s two wickets for just six runs, but Noah Vickery posted a season’s best 80 not out to extinguish any hopes Hyde had with the ball.
After leading the table at the halfway point, Hyde are now in a distant third place after comfortable nine-wicket wins apiece for reigning champions Nantwich and current leaders Didsbury.
Hyde have a chance to put some gloss on a disappointing second half of the season with a Cheshire Cup semi-final at home against in-form Didsbury – a re-run of last year’s final – on Sunday.
