MARK Walker admitted his team did not score enough runs when their defence of the Cheshire Shield ended on Sunday.

Had it not been for the captain’s innings – he scored 83 off 132 balls and stayed at the crease until the final over – then the hosts would have put less than 162 on the board.

He added 51 runs for the third wicket with Chandrika Wathukarage (22), only to run out the Sri Lankan.

“We needed 180 or so really,” said Walker.

“After losing both of our openers so early, we went into survival mode and seemed to struggle to get out of it again.”

Andrew Roscow took 4-47 for the visitors, who play in the Cheshire League’s top-flight, while Craig Stow (2-17) accounted for Luke Tapsfield and Glinoj Cherian without either of them scoring.

Ashton appeared on course for a comfortable victory after Josh Coleridge (27) and David Patterson (20) put on 53 for the first wicket.

Matthew Dufty (1-27) claimed the former’s wicket, then ran out the latter.

Skipper James Marshall (39) and Stow (30) edged their side closer to victory despite the best effort of Mohammad Ajmal (2-29), while Joe Walker (1-17) and James Plant (1-38) chipped in with a wicket too.

Ashton made it to 164-6 with five balls to spare, clinching a date with Romiley – comfortable victors against Brooklands – in the process.

“We kept chipping away,” added Walker.

“But you always felt they were batting within themselves because they never needed more than four runs an over.

“We didn’t quite do enough to eke it out, which is why falling 20 or 30-odd runs short in our innings was important.”

Romiley ran up 214-6 against Brooklands, then rolled over their guests for 71.

The final follows on Sunday, August 13.