Hashir Dafedar scored his second unbeaten century of the season as Hale Barns First XI cruised to victory against fellow title contenders Disley at Brooks Drive.
Mike Hunter provided adept support with a patient 45, while Joe Fretwell-Walsh and Dave Saddington shared three wickets each to earn a comprehensive 122-run win that lifted the team to within 23 points of top spot in the Cheshire Cricket League Division One.
The hosts made a stuttering start as both openers were removed with the score on 35, including the run-out of Joe Cooper for 24.
However, Dafedar and Hunter restored the innings with a tremendous partnership as the former played with typical fluency, while Hunter was more cautious at the other end.
The combination worked perfectly to give Barns a solid platform to boost the run rate in the latter stages, steering the score to 149-2 until Hunter was dismissed five runs short of a half century.
Having kept wickets in hand and with Dafedar scoring freely, Hale’s remaining batsmen were able to play with freedom and Chris Colley took advantage with a blistering 28 from just 25 balls.
Dafedar continued to accumulate runs and deservedly reached three figures, completing the allotted overs on 107 not out after 15 fours and two maximums as the home side posted an imposing total of 249-5.
In reply, Disley’s openers were sent back to the pavilion cheaply as Ben Hicks and Saddington gained a wicket apiece, with the latter claiming two victims in two deliveries to reduce the visitors to 15-3.
Sajjad Shah (42) immediately showcased his intentions by finding the boundary after wildly swiping at Saddington’s hat-trick ball.
His wicket proved elusive alongside partner Cal McIlveen (22) as the pair added 63 to the score until both batters were removed by Fretwell-Walsh, while Sam Smith (1-16) got in on the act with a wicket of his own as the away outfit slipped from 78-3 to 89-6.
Barns carried on hunting for wickets and gained another breakthrough thanks to Fretwell-Walsh (3-23) before Cooper (1-2) became the fifth bowler to earn a dismissal.
Hicks (2-41) got his second of the day to put Barns on the brink of a sensational victory and it was left to Saddington (3-38) to finish the job, with Junaid Samdani (21) the last man out as Disley were bowled out for just 127 with nine overs to spare.