1XI Match Report vs Malpas at Home:
Vale's 1XI looked to secure back-to-back wins to start the season as Malpas made the long journey to Priory Street. Under a sun-drenched sky, Vale skipper Alex Power won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Langley and Power got off to a steady start, running quick singles and finding the occasional boundary to take the Vale to 50-0 off 13 overs. Malpas responded with tight fielding and disciplined bowling, which eventually saw Langley depart for 27 in the 21st over, leaving Vale at 68-1.
Power, finding his rhythm, was joined by Jack Halsall. Power notched his first fifty of the season, soon followed by Halsall, who hit his second fifty in as many games. Their partnership flourished, adding 107 runs and bringing Vale to a commanding 175-2 in 36 overs. Power was eventually dismissed for a brilliant 84, while Halsall continued to accelerate. Halsall, attempting to push the score further, was caught for 64. Big hitters John Ollier and Nomaan Hasan then took the crease, propelling Vale to a formidable 221-3 off their 45 overs.
After tea, Vale knew that Malpas, unbeaten in the league so far, would be formidable in their chase. Nigel Halsall and Tom Ollier provided a strong start, reducing Malpas to 50-3 early on. Although Riley Urquhart and James Wiseman began to rebuild and looked threatening, Halsall and Max Lloyd managed to remove them, swinging the game decisively back in Vale's favor. Despite some resistance from the Malpas lower order, Max Lloyd and Jack Halsall wrapped up the innings, sealing a comprehensive 110-run victory for Vale.
Nigel Halsall, battling through tonsillitis, finished with impressive figures of 4-20 off 11 overs. Max Lloyd supported well with 3-36 off 9 overs, while Jack Halsall contributed 2-11 off 3 overs and Tom Ollier chipped in with 1-41 off 6 overs. It was a great day for Vale, marking a dominant win and continuing their strong start to the season.
2XI Match Report vs Cheadle Hulme away:
Vale's 2XI arrived at Cheadle Hulme with the ambition of securing their third consecutive win of the season. Cheadle Hulme won the toss and elected to bat first, aiming to exhaust Vale under the scorching sun. However, Cheadle's innings struggled to gain momentum as Vale consistently took wickets at crucial moments. Tom Halsall set the tone with figures of 1-29 off 7 overs, followed by Dinkar Trivedi who claimed 2-22 off 8 overs. Gareth Roberts made significant inroads with 3-28 off 6 overs, and Arthur Wilson wrapped up the innings efficiently with 3-11 off 5 overs, bowling Cheadle out for 157 in 34 overs.
After tea, Vale's chase got off to a rocky start as openers Ian Johnson and Vishal Gupta fell cheaply. However, Pete Williamson and Pankaj Meshram steadied the innings and brought Vale back into contention. Meshram played a crucial knock, scoring 64 before being caught, while Williamson contributed a solid 29 before being given out LBW. Gareth Roberts added 16 runs, but despite these efforts, the game culminated in a dramatic tie. Vale matched Cheadle Hulme's total, ending on 157-9 off their 40 overs.
