Cricket Web Black v Cricket Web Green
at Pickford Reserve
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Dave Richards' 163rd first class innings brought him his maiden first class century, elevating him to true all-rounder status and excusing a toothless but tidy bowling performance. With little bowling power available from Richards, Neil Pickup had to take the limelight, and did so admirably with a second-innings spell of seven for 103.
Black won the toss, batted first, and ensured that no result but a Black win or a draw was in reality possible. Stunning batting and useless fielding from the Greens (ten catches were floored in the Black innings) allowed them to take control, and when Green recovered after a fine spell from Andrew Cameron, Richards entered. He was floored by Lezama on eight; it was to become crucial, as Richards batted through the second day and took Black from a respectable 336 to an unassailable 549 for nine. Neil Pickup also contributed useful runs once again, while Nick Borcich got credit for his unbeaten 74. Paddy Gundry removed the tail, but conceded 111 runs in his five-wicket-haul, and was no more threatening than the other bowlers.
In reply, Green chose an aggressive tactic. Malone bashed Borcich for successive sixes in the morning, while Garven littered the boundary ropes as he raced to 49 before charging Pickup as he attempted to reach his 50 in style. Instead, he was stumped.
It was the beginning of the inevitable. Malone fell shortly afterwards, inside edging Hoy, and the next two days were grinding, tiresome, but eventually fruitful work for Black. Green ultimately lost with a poor lower middle order performance against Borcich and Wilson, crashing from 226 for three to 299 all out, with only Bryce Cunningham's fleeting knock of 29 providing any runs to the total.
Following on, Green ground out an identical amount of runs, with Rob Malone recording one of his finest first class knocks as he tonned up for the ninth time in his career. However, from 15 for two it was always difficult, and despite better performances from the lower middle order, it was impossible to hold Pickup at bay for long. Seven unplayable deliveries won him the game and Man of the Match honours, as Black whizzed away the required 14 runs in 17 balls to win by ten wickets.
Cricket Web Black 585 all out (Fitzsimmons 140, Richards 119, Butler 74, Borcich 74*; Gundry 5/111)
Cricket Web Green 299 all out (Scott 58, Rodgie 50; Borcich 3/71)
Cricket Web Green 299 all out (following on; Malone 121; Pickup 7/103)
Cricket Web Black 14 for nought
Cricket Web Black won by ten wickets
Man of the Match: N. S. Pickup
Points: Black 22, Green 4
Cricket Web Blue v Cricket Web Colts
at PDV Dome
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Backed by a fine batting effort in the Blues' lair, Colts turned the game from an unwinnable position at 107 for eight in the first innings to a rather comfortable win. However, the game was full of twists and turns, a true Dev League classic.
Colts batted first - and were immediately stunned by the prodigious seam movement found by Collins, who snared both openers. As if that wasn't enough, Nath Patrick made full use of first change opportunities, and after a 30-run partnership between Towns and Nayak was broken, Demeza and Halsey found the going easy.
However, Rai and Wright put on 54 crucial runs for the ninth wicket, and Thomas bashed 11 quick runs before edging behind to Crampton. 174 looked distinctively more competitive than 107, but when Goff and Cloete eased to effortless fifties, it still didn't look enough. Both gave their wickets away when set, however, allowing Thomas and Wright's quick bowling loose on the lower order. It had frightening results. Blue lost seven wickets for 65 runs, with only Camps sticking around, and Crampton suffering a golden duck.
Still, a lead of 57 looked good enough. Until Pitt and Burke had completed their partnership. Pitt slashed runs everywhere, recording a 61-ball fifty, and kept taking the quick single until Halsey broke the stand with a beautiful leg spinner. At 115 for one, everyone waited for the collapse: instead Burke and Towns played measured knocks, and by the end of the second day Colts were 255 for three and in some sort of control.
Demeza and Collins shook the batsmen on the third morning, taking a wicket each, but Hancock's lower order slogging of 40 and Rai's 31 helped Colts past 350, setting a challenging target to the Blues for the third game running. And for the third game running, they crashed. This was a spectacular chase, though. Young and Cribb saw off the new ball admirably, before Weber's second ball sailed through the gap to firmly put a lid on Young's excellent run of form: he closed on 31. Cribb and Goff fought the spinners off well, however, and Colts once again had to seek the seamers' help: when Goff was dropped by Jasotharan on 42, things looked grim. But Hancock had Goff caught by Burke in the very first over of his second spell, Wright removed Cloete with a stunning yorker, and Cribb was lbw to a grubber from Rai.
With 103 to win and six wickets in hand, the match looked in the balance overnight. Instead, Weber stole the show on the fourth morning, striking twice in his third over to remove Crampton and Camps lbw, and the spinners simply ran riot. Weber took out Collins, Patrick, and the inevitable wicket of Demeza, while Halsey was given out to a Rai ball that looked like it hit outside off. Nevertheless, it was a frightening collapse, and can not have done much good for the Blue team morale.
Cricket Web Colts 174 all out (Patrick 3/25)
Cricket Web Blue 231 all out (Cloete 64, Goff 56; Thomas 4/50, Wright 4/70)
Cricket Web Colts 379 all out (Pitt 70, Towns 60, Jasotharan 58, Burke 55; Demeza 4/110)
Cricket web Blue 244 all out (Cribb 91; Weber 6/54)
Cricket Web Colts won by 78 runs
Man of the Match: T. V. Weber
Points: Colts 17, Blue 4