12-07-2025
Cherry Tree happily-placed ahead of facing leaders Ribb
Cherry Tree captain Andreas Sudnik says his side are where they want to be at the halfway stage of the Championship's promotion race in the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League.
Sudnik's side are placed third in the table, eight points short of the all-important top-two positions having won eight of their 10 matches so far.
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Last weekend marked the 11th out of 22 rounds in the NWCL summer, with some sides having played more and some less.
On Saturday afternoon, Cherry Tree won by seven wickets at Earby, chasing down a revised target of 190 in 41 overs, getting home off the penultimate ball
They now sit with 94 points in third, just behind second-placed Whalley (102) and 13 points adrift of leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers. Cherry Tree have a game in hand on Whalley and have played three games fewer than Ribblesdale.
'I'd have taken this position at the start of the season,' said seamer Sudnik.
'Two defeats out of 10 and eight wins, that's very good.
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'We were disappointed at Walkden last weekend. We would have been expecting to win that, but they had an overseas (Haider Saqlain) who played well and has won them a couple of games recently.
'Maybe that was a bit of a kick up the backside that we needed.
'I said to the lads on Saturday, 'This is our chance to get back into it'.
And we did. I'm very happy at the moment.
'But it's too hard a race to call at the moment.
'Most of the teams who are up there, I expected them to be.
'Whalley were in my top four. They have a really good pro in Levi Wolfenden. I expected Ribb to be there having come down. They have a strong squad.
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'Barnoldswick are maybe a bit of a surprise instead of Astley Bridge, who I was expecting to be up there.
'I was backing ourselves to be up there because we have strengthened the batting, which was an issue for us last year, and we're winning games.'
Cherry Tree triumphed amid a thrilling conclusion at Earby on Saturday,
Sudnik struck twice with his seamers, including getting Sri Lankan professional Dunith Jayathunga out in the last over for 83 off 72 balls as Earby totalled 190-5 from 41 overs.
In reply, four of Cherry Tree's five batters used all posted more than 20, including opener Charlie Elwood's 47, pro Mini Bhada's 45, Owen Elwood's middle-order run-a-ball 50 not out and Mark Hadfield's unbeaten 21.
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Charlie Elwood and the pro shared 77 for the second wicket from 27-1 and Owen Elwood and Hadfield shared 71 unbroken for the fourth wicket from 122-3 to see their side home.
'Owen's hit three big sixes, including two in the penultimate over,' said Sudnik. 'Without those, we'd have lost.
'He also took an absolutely outstanding catch running back towards long-on, catching it right on the edge, to get their pro. That was crucial.
'Their pro batted really well. He didn't give a chance. But when we got him out off the first ball of the last over, that made a difference because he was teeing off.
'I bowled the last 11 overs at the death with Kurt Smithson because our spinners didn't really adjust to the wicket.
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'We didn't bowl badly. Their pro just played some very good shots.'
Having talked up the performance of opposition pro Jayathunga with the bat, Sudnik did likewise with his own pro, Mini Bhada.
'Local lad, great player, great attitude,' he said. 'He bats and bowls, and you know you're going to get something off him every week. On Saturday, he was involved in a big partnership which really set us up.'
Sudnik did not actually start the season as captain, that responsibility lying with opener Elwood.
Sudnik added: 'I think it was after the fourth game of the season, and he just said, 'I'm not enjoying it'.
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'I was his vice, and we get on like a house on fire, so I had no problems with stepping up. It was just a matter of the timing not being right.
'Charlie's happy scoring runs, and that's exactly what he's doing.'
Next up for Cherry Tree is a blockbuster home clash with leaders Ribblesdale Wanderers today.
Today's fixtures: Premiership - Atherton v Salesbury, Eagley v Read, Farnworth v Lostock, Kearsley v Farnworth Social Circle, Little Lever v Tonge, Padiham v Salesbury; Championship - Astley Bridge v Brinscall, Baxenden v Walkden, Cherry Tree v Ribblesdale Wanderers, Earby v Barnoldswick, Oswaldtwistle Immanuel v Whalley.
