Droylsden CC promoted to GMCL Championship

Droylsden have won promotion to the Championship of the Greater Manchester Cricket League with three games to spare.

They confirmed their top three place in style, beating relegation threatened Thornham by 136 runs. 

The hosts from Rochdale won the toss and put Droylsden into bat, who despite losing the early wicket of skipper Cameron Mapstone, clipped along at a steady rate through their innings. 

Brad Wiseman had a hand in the wickets of Adam Stansfield (44) and Matt Halliday (34), before Imran Qadir and Rehad Afridi both made half-centuries, with the latter retiring injured on 57 after smashing seven boundaries. 

Droylsden racked up 270-5 in 46 overs, a target Thornham never threatened to reach. 

They lost four batsmen to a duck, with Elliot Millward dealing with most of the top order and Lewis Jarvis tearing through the tail, taking 5-32 from 59 balls. 

Droylsden only need to win one of their remaining three matches to lift the Division 1 title, with their first chance being a home tie against Winton this coming Saturday. 

They’ll play local derbies next season against Mottram, while Glossop, Woodhouses and Denton St Lawrence are all in a Premier Division 2 relegation scrap.