Dev League - penultimate FC round - Day One
Cricket Web Colts vs Cricket Web Red
at Fardin Qayyumi CC
Will Kerr and Dylan Cole took control of the game here in Goffmouth on the first afternoon, after Red had shown promising signs with the ball early on. Indisciplined Colts batting saw three wickets tumble before lunch, with Rai bowled by West at the stroke of the break as the key dismissal.
However, Kerr celebrated his Test call-up and the easiest of drops on five by grounding Red into submission, slashing nine fours and a six in a well-crafted hundred and sharing a massive stand with Dylan Cole. Cole, who had entered when Chris Butler dragged on Sean Bennett for 41, started well and raced along to the half-century, before playing somewhat more cautiously against Bennett to await the new ball. It brought no further breakthroughs, and Colts closed the day with the advantage.
Cricket Web Colts 312 for four (98)
Kerr 113*, Cole 87*
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Cricket Web Black vs Masters XI
at Pickford Reserve
Shiv Sundar Das steered the Masters to a hefty total at Pickford, untroubled by two new balls as the veteran spin duo flunked completely on a placid wicket.
Das was dropped by Josh Ritchie on 50, giving the Masters a final boost in a morning session they had dominated from an early stage. Borcich and Davis failed to find swing with the new ball, plagued by a punishing sun and a demanding captain, and though Borcich broke through Benkenstein's defences immediately after lunch, and when Cameron Burge, as third-choice spinner, had Lara caught behind with his seventh ball, Black looked to threaten.
The evening session belonged to the visitors, however, as Lance Klusener played a supporting hand to a rampant Das. He brought up his century with a fine on drive just after tea, and continued with a number of boundaries as Smith grew more and more and more frustrated. The second new ball didn't help, as it once more brought no fruit, but Das eventually padded up to Donald just before stumps to give the Blacks a sniff of hope.
Masters XI 317 for four (94)
Das 148, Klusener 79*
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Cricket Web Blue vs Cricket Web Green
at PDV Dome
A frantic first day saw 412 runs for eleven wickets, as Cricket Web Green's novelty XI scored at an insane rate before nabbing the in-form opener, Stephen Young. However, Sean Fuller fought back with a fine knock to keep Blue adrift at stumps.
Trav Demeza had struck twice in the opening over to keep Blue in check early on, but it didn't stem the flow of runs - 50 was brought up in seven overs, with five fours and one six. Then, Fuller plucked a big scoring shot out of the air, and Garven's innings was cut short at 16 balls - for 23.
Thus it continued. Blue created wicket-taking chances, yet Green scored at an obscene rate, smashing 169 before lunch, and by the end of a one-day innings they had made a solid 277 for five. Callum Dinnen was responsible for most of the runs, bashing thirteen fours in a fine century, while Manjunath Reddlapalli came up with a rare contribution during their 118-run stand. After tea, however, Blue dominated, with Demeza and Fuller taking four wickets to whittle Green out for 347. In response, Blue batted out 23 rather more cautious overs, with Fuller and Peter Young managing to keep Green out - though Jack McNamara floored a crucial return catch off Young with three overs to spare.
Cricket Web Green 347 all out (64.2)
Dinnen 146, Reddlapalli 60; Demeza 5/112
Cricket Web Blue 65 for one (23)
Fuller 34*
Code:
Blue 9 9 0 62 51 239
Black 9 6 3 48 50 236
Red 9 8 1 55 51 236
Colts 7 6 5 55 50 223
Green 6 10 2 47 50 188 E