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Cricket Web Black v Cricket Web Blue
at Pickford Reserve
On a stop-start first day of cricket at Pickford, Sean Fuller and Liam Camps nearly ridiculed the decision to bowl first as they put on 48 before tea was taken - however, Pickup brought himself on in the 23rd over, and grabbed the wickets of Camps and Goff to turn the match. Just after Pickup's final delivery of the over, umpires stopped play for the day, with the total on 59 for 2. The second day belonged to Pickup, however. As if on a mission to repair his thus far rather poor season, he took Wilshere, Jellett, Halsey, Collins and Patrick out for single-figure scores, as Blue fell to 106 for 7, then to 137 all out. Andrew Cloete was left helpless and not out on 41, while Pickup registered season-best figures of seven for 30.
Black then wrested control of the match thanks to a 110-run stand between Fitszsimmons and Kearsley, and Fitzsimmons recorded his first century in 14 Dev League matches this season by taking a single off Demeza. He eventually perished for 117, but he had given Black a solid lead, and the weather conditions meant acceleration was required. As such, there were wickets available, and Patrick made the best of the new ball as Black were limited to 303 all out. Still, a healthy lead and six bonus points meant that Blue had a lot to work with to stand any chance of winning.
Their odds did not exactly improve when Fuller nicked to Fitzsimmons at third slip with the fifth ball of the second innings; however, Goff easily made his way into double figures, and looked set for an excellent knock when a sudden bouncer from Warwick was fended to short leg Smith for 31. Two more wickets from Callum Thompson ensured that Blue were in trouble at 92 for 4, but de Silva and Wilshere fought back, and by the end of the day they had given Blue a slender lead.
De Silva continued in the morning, adding a further 49 to the overnight total, but was cruelly adjudged lbw to Pickup on 99, one run short of what would have been his first century of the first class season. However, Wilshere pushed onwards, as he finally translated some of that one-day form into the first class arena. His 63 was a gritty and well-earned one, and it pushed Blue until a lead of over 100, and helped by innings from Jellett and Halsey Blue pushed the target up to 186 at least.
Blue broke through in the second over, as Patrick had Fitzsimmons lbw for 6, and Smith followed shortly afterwards - however, the contributions of Patrick did not seem to be enough, as Black closed out the day on 129 for 3 requiring only 57 to win the game. In the morning, light conditions tricked the players again, but only 20 minutes were lost and after a delayed start Patrick had Dubb-Lynch caught for his fourth wicket of the innings. After another, long, rain break, Halsey was introduced on the Pickford fifth-day pitch, and immediately had success; his first ball had Wilson dropped on three, his fourth induced a return catch, as the equation read 39 runs and five wickets. More rain then brought a sense of hurry to the Black batsmen - with the time already well past five, it appeared time would be an issue, but Blackman ensured it wouldn't by driving Cloete for four to give Black a last-gasp victory and a fifty-point lead in the table. A win against Red on Saturday will now secure the championship for Black.
Cricket Web Blue 137 all out
Cricket Web Black 303 all out
Cricket Web Blue 351 all out
Cricket Web Black 186 for 5
Cricket Web Black won by five wickets
Man of the Match: Neil Pickup