Rainhill CC U18s 152/1 (Foulkes 50*, Lawler 38, Millar 36; Rigby 14-1)
Winstanley Park CC U18s 89/5 (Burke 35; J Davies 32; Unsworth 18-2, Pennington 0-1)
Rainhill Under 18s made an emphatic start to their 2025 WDJCL campaign with a commanding 63-run win over Winstanley Park Griffins at Victoria Terrace.
After winning the toss, Rainhill chose to bat first and set the tone early with a positive opening stand. Nathan Lawler and Freddie Foulkes added 50 for the first wicket inside eight overs, playing with control and intent. Foulkes was fluent from the outset, hitting eight boundaries on his way to a well-crafted unbeaten 50 from 51 deliveries before retiring.
Nathan Lawler played the perfect anchor, rotating the strike brilliantly and allowing the innings to flow. In his 38 from 31 balls, Lawler faced just five dot balls, regularly finding singles with soft hands and sharp running. His partnerships with both Foulkes and later Millar ensured constant scoreboard pressure.
After Lawler was dismissed at 98-1, Finnlee Millar and skipper Stephen Pennington picked up the tempo. Millar was particularly aggressive, smashing 36* from just 24 balls, including five boundaries and a six. Pennington played a smart supporting role, finishing unbeaten on 13. The pair added 50 in under five overs to take Rainhill to an imposing 152-1 at the close.
Rainhill’s bowlers then backed up the batting display with a disciplined performance across the board. Pennington opened with two maiden overs and a wicket to immediately put the visitors on the back foot. Ollie Unsworth (3 overs, 2-18) struck twice with sharp deliveries, while Nathan Lawler (1-7 from 3) bowled with great control to stifle any recovery.
Despite a battling 32 from Jacob Davies and an unbeaten 35 from Rory Burke, Winstanley Park never seriously threatened the chase. Finlay Venables was excellent through the middle, conceding just 8 runs in 3 tight overs. Keiran Rose added a wicket, while Jack Tyms and Harry Ball both bowled with accuracy and economy.
Rainhill’s fielding was another highlight, with energetic backing-up, alert ground fielding and pressure maintained right to the final ball.
This was a complete performance to open the U18 league campaign: disciplined, confident and cohesive. With both bat and ball clicking into gear, Rainhill will take real momentum into their next fixture.
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