The rivals who are tough nuts to crack

Today, the 1st XI would have been travelling to Egerton – a fixture which has soon become one of our toughest, only having crossed swords for the first time when the GMCL was formed.

It was during the summer of 2016 that Prestwich made their inaugural visit to the picturesque ground holding a healthy lead at the top of the Premier Division.

Having bossed most of the game, Prestwich looked poised for victory until Egerton staged a remarkable rally and took five wickets in the last two overs to leave Prestwich one run short of the home side’s total.

However, the league title was still up for grabs on the final day – against none other than Egerton. The simple equation was – whoever won became league champions. However, the 1sts fell 35 runs short of the 175-run target and the trophy made its way to Bolton.

Bizarrely, it was a different story a year later – both clubs on the final day were fighting to stay up! Both games were washed out, and meant Prestwich remained in the top tier.

Last year at Egerton proved a washout, but that was not before – on this corresponding weekend – Prestwich had suffered at the hands of Egerton in a round two home tie of the Lancashire Knockout.

The vagaries of the Duckworth Lewis system meant that Prestwich scored 2 more runs than Egerton, but lost!

Best performances at Egerton’s ground are Andy Bradley’s 4 for 39 in that dramatic match of 2016, and Marty Walters’ innings of 75 in their 2018 clash.

The 2nd XI would have welcomed Milnrow 1st XI to The Heys today.