Ross 2nd XI cruised to a comfortable win against Hanley Castle on Saturday, in the first of the return fixtures in the Crusader Worcestershire Cricket League which marks the half way point of the season. Winning the toss was always going to be important and when the visiting Hanley skipper called incorrectly the home captain had no hesitation in asking them to bat. Hanley survived the first over without losing a wicket but it was merely a delay of what was to come. With youngster Rob Kyle coming up the hill and veteran Stu Tucker coming down, the two Ross bowlers wreaked havoc in the Hanley line up. At one stage Hanley had lost seven wickets without passing twenty runs. Steady batting from captain Charles Robinson and Dave Albert saw them limp towards anything like a respectable total. Indeed Ross was quite disappointed to see the score get to the fifty mark. The innings closed with Hanley all out for fifty-one. Rob Kyle taking 4 for 16, Stu Tucker 4 for 20, and the ever-reliable Nick Trekaskes nipping in with 2 for 10. When it came to the Ross innings they too found the pitch low and slow after the week of heavy rain and scoring not much easier than had Hanley. At one stage Ross actually looked as if they might throw the game away when 31 for 5. However, they were seen home by juniors Charles Hiram and Rob Kyle, who both batted with great maturity and no little skill, to see Ross achieve their target with no further losses, Hiram (14 not out) and Kyle (9 not out) as the home side won by 5 wickets.
