An under-strength South Manchester just failed to overhaul West Didsbury in a close fought encounter in the Greater Manchester Amateur League.

West Didsbury won the toss and elected to bat on a green pitch at Scholes Fields. They started steadily but the openers soon fell to David Cohen and Jonathan Lieberman. That brought captain Yousuf Saleem to the crease and he took the South bowling apart, dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground.

Other batsmen came and went as wickets fell steadily around him, but Saleem was last out having hit 101.

There were three wickets apiece for David Cohen, Jonathan Lieberman and Shaya Rabinovitz and one for debutant Josh Oehley as West Didsbury were dismissed for 226.

South did not start well when it was their turn to bat as wickets fell at regular intervals and only Rabinovitz 32, made a useful contribution and at 91-6, it was looking bleak.

Dangerman Akiva Lieberman was out cheaply as the ball rolled agonisingly back on to his stumps following a defensive prod.

Jonathan Lieberman and Charlie Mason batted sensibly to take the score up to 156 with Mason reaching 19 before he fell victim to Arshad. David Cohen joined Lieberman at the crease and continued to chase the daunting total set by Didsbury.

Lieberman was finally out for 35 with the score at 170. The final pairing of Cohen and Dan Glicher tried valiantly to reach the finishing line but when Cohen was finally out for 21, and with South a player short, the innings came to an end just 35 runs short.

South can take great heart from this game which shows just how far they have come since the beginning of the season.