SALE 1st XI lost a crucial promotional game at home to Grappenhall on Saturday by five wickets in Cheshire County League Division One.

The game between second-placed Grappenhall and Sale in fourth was reduced to 80 overs following rain.

Asked to bat first, Sale lost in-form openers Brooke Guest and Mat Spells early on to reduce the score to 17-2.

The usually dependable Tyrone Lawrence scored just 10 ?as the score reached 35-4.

Captain Chris Canning hit a typically aggressive 38 off 43 balls to take the score to 100, adding 44 for the eighth wicket with Ali Barrowman (18).

However, Sale’s batsmen never really applied themselves to the conditions, giving away regular wickets due to poor shot selection, and they eventually closed on a below par 115-9 off 40 overs.

In reply, Grappenhall made a similar start as Lawrence took two early wickets to reduce the visitors to 14-2.

Rick Halkon and Lawrence then took a wicket each with the score on 27 to give the advantage to Sale.

However, reduced bowling restrictions came to the rescue of the Grappenhall batsmen after 20 overs.

With both Lawrence and Halkon bowled out, the change bowlers could not exert the same level of control in extremely challenging conditions of constant light rain and wind.

Grappers only lost one further wicket on 88, Jamie Bye for 23, when Barrowman made the much needed breakthrough.

The game went down to the final over as Grappenhall’s overseas all rounder, Ryan Ninan (49 not out) hit the winning runs with two balls to spare as they closed on 119-5.

In the reverse fixture at Grappenhall, the second XI secured eight points from a losing draw.

Gareth Watterson (4-36) and Siyan Siraj (3-43) did the damage as the home team were bowled out for 198 in the 48th over.

In reply, the seconds lost two early wickets before Siraj (92) and Abas Rizvi (40) looked to be setting Sale up for the win.

However, the lower order could not match their effort – only skipper James Hall (27) made double figures as Sale batted out at 186-9.

The third XI were in a strong position at bottom-placed Toft on Sunday, when rain forced the abandonment.

Soans Praveen (41) and Zikria Nadeem (26) led Sale to 172 all out with two balls to go.

Toft were struggling at 117-6 off 33 overs when the rain got too heavy. Joe Cannon with 4-37 doing the damage with his leg spin as Sale picked up 10 valuable points.

The fourth XI game against Heaton Mersey was cancelled due to a waterlogged square.

Earlier in the week, Sale Silverbacks lost their Over 40s' quarter-final at Bollington.

This weekend the first team will hope to get their promotion challenge back on track at home against Cheadle Hulme.

The seconds play the reverse fixture, while the third team host Marple.