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Rain can't stop Bears or Gladiators

Monday, July 5 2004

Warwickshire and Gloucestershire defied the rain to pick up wins in the NCL Division 1, but Kent and Essex were left frustrated as no result was possible at Canterbury.


Kent vs. Essex

After a flying start by the home side, the rain that curtailed their game will leave them feeling particularly aggrieved.

Michael Carberry and Ed Smith had added 135 for the first wicket, Carberry hitting 3 sixes and 9 fours in his innings of 76 from only 57 balls before he fell to Andrew Clarke, the only wicket taker for Essex. However rain had the final say and the points were shared.

KENT 168-2 (Carberry 76, Smith 58*, Clarke 2-26)


Lancashire vs Gloucestershire

Craig Spearman was in dashing form as the away side elected to bat on winning the toss, hitting 89 from only 66 balls. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the side didn't really kick on from that, and only Tim Hancock's run-a-ball unbeaten 53 saw them to a total of 237-9 from their 45 overs.

In reply, the Gloucester openers were soon on the button, and 2 early wickets were always going to hamper Lancashire, and although Mal Loye and Dinesh Mongia started a fightback, and Warren Hegg and Dominic Cork added cameo knocks down the order, they were always chasing the game, and the return of Jonathon Lewis coincided with a collapse that saw the last 5 wickets fall for 29, and Lancashire end up 18 short.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE 237-9 (Spearman 89, Hancock 53*, Windows 30, Chilton 2-34, Newby 2-37)
LANCASHIRE 219 (Loye 65, Mongia 40, Cork 37, Hegg 36, Lewis 4-30, Smith 2-42, Fisher 2-44, Alleyne 2-53)


Warwickshire vs Northamptonshire

A fine Tim Roberts century was the highlight of the Northamptonshire innings, the opener scoring 112 from 129 balls. The problem was that whilst he kept one end up, batsmen came and went at regular intervals at the other end, as only 4 other players made it to double figures, and it took a 19-ball innings of 32 from Johann Louw to take them past 200.

In reply, Warwickshire lost 3 early wickets before Australian Brad Hogg joined Mark Wagh in a match-winning stand of 78. Both men made it into the 70s before being dismissed, and when Hogg went, only a further 16 were needed, which were easily knocked off.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 233 (Roberts 112, Louw 32, Streak 3-51, Bell 2-33, Carter 2-39, D Brown 2-67)
WARWICKSHIRE 235-6 (Hogg 74, Wagh 70, Phillips 2-36, J Brown 2-50)

Posted by Marc