Week 4 Report: Bury are Table Toppers Thanks To Terrific Talib

Another week and another two victories for the 1st XI - two results which sees them top both the T20 group and the GMCL Championship in the early stages of the 2023 season.

The weekend began with an 8 wicket win on a breezy Friday evening in Milnrow. The Milnrow Rams batted first and it took until the 10th over for the Bullsharks to get a breakthrough, former Woodbank man Jack Wynn (19) was caught off the bowling of Sam Nolan-Massey. Top scorer Adam Yates (30) was stumped in the next over before an inspired bowling spell from the returning Mohammed Jehangir, despite spending a period of the innings off the field with a hand injury, of 3-14 meant all momentum from the home side's innings was lost. Milnrow Rams finished their 20 overs on 120-7.

The Bullsharks were always ahead of the game with their reply, and needed just 4 batsmen to reach the target. Mukhtar Nasir (30) scored the early runs, before Kershaski Jno Lewis (48*) and Ali Niazi (27*) helped guide Bury home with more than 6 overs remaining. (Scorecard)

Runs weren't as easy to find on Saturday, in the away league game to Dukinfield, with none of the top four making it to double figures, and Bury looking in trouble at 31-6. A captain's innings from Dom Morris (37), supported by a quick 19 from Usama Akram, helped push the score at least to a more competitive 96 all out.

Dukinfield sent Munir Khan up the order to open with some attacking batting, but when he was given lbw to Nasir for 17, Bury's bowlers began to establish their dominance. Jno Lewis (1-22) and Nasir (2-18) did the job with the opening spells, before the slow-bowling pair of Ali Niazi (8-4-9-1) and Majid Talib (7.1-5-4-5) devestated the Dukinfield batting order. When the final wicket fell, a catch at silly point, Talib had a deserved five-fer, his second best Bury figures, and Bury had taken a winning bonus point, with Dukinfield all out for 64. (Scorecard)