Cricketweb Blue vs Cricketweb Colts
@ PDV Dome
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
With the end of the season nearing Cricketweb Colts were hoping to put a buffer between the top three and the bottom two as the race for the finals spots heats up, with Green having a bye this round it was essential for Colts to get at least four points to remain in the top 2. Blue went into the game knowing a loss would all but end their campaign in this form of the game, the home fans were expecting a tight clash.
Colts skipper Chris Butler won the toss and elected to bat first on a sunny day at the PDV Dome, with the roof open and a hard surface to bat on it looked a nice day to be in the middle. Unfortunately for opener Dan Rai he only experienced three balls in the sunshine as Brenton Robb snuck one through him to strike him on the pads plumb in front of the wickets, Ynvge Fjermestad and Dan Towns combined well for a 113 run stand before the pair feel in quick succession while impressive youngster Callum Laing made another excellent contribution in the middle order with 62 from 45 balls. Bosco Fitzsimmons couldn't continue his improving form as Robb picked him up first ball while at the other end Chris Butler overc came a slow start to smash a blistering hundred, his 104 not out came off only 76 balls and included 10 boundaries and 3 huge sixes, Marcuss Deane also chipped in with a few handy runs late. Despite a career best 4/73 from Brenton Robb Colts managed to post 326/7 from their 50 overs.
Cricketweb Blue knew they would need something special to win this game, their batting for the most part this season has been largely disappointing and it was time for the top order to step up, Colts sprung a surprise with the ball by giving Marcuss Deane the new ball to share with Kyle Wright, the move paid off in the sixth over when Deane accepted a return catch from test batsman Sean Fuller and he was on his way for 14, youngster Angelo Loganathan couldn't get the scoreboard moving along the way he would have liked as he became Jason Wilson's first victim. International pair Liam Camps and Rob Bowen put together a fighting stand as they attempted to get their side to within striking distance, but both fell shortly after reaching their half centuries and the pattern of losing wickets at the wrong time continued for Blue. The destroyer with the ball was seamer Jason Wilson who has looked rather pedestrian for the most part this season but today he looked like a new bowler, he simply had too many guns for the home side as he took career best figures of 5/55 from 10 overs to have Blue all out in the 40th over for 243 and in the process securing a vital bonus point for his side.
Cricketweb Colts 326/7 (50)
CR Butler 104* (76), DP Towns 66(77), CJ Laing 62(45), BJ Robb 4/73
Cricketweb Blue 243 (39.2)
RF Bowen 55(45), LA Camps 51(47), JC Wilson 5/55
Cricketweb Colts won by 83 runs
Man of the Match: JC Wilson (CW Colts)
Cricketweb Red vs Cricketweb Black
@ CW Oval
Scorecard
Ball By Ball
Bottom of the table Red hosted top of the table Black in a match that looked like being a one sided contest, Red were without regular opener Matt Luff who has a dislocated jaw but the only man Black were worried about was Rob Dauth. With the ODI batsman in career best form he had the ability to single handedly take the game away from his opponents, Black's themselves have several proven match winners and were confident of a win going into this fixture.
Red won the toss and chose to bat on a miserable old day, with plenty of rain in the area thoughts of bowling first certaintly would have crossed David Kennett's mind, the decision to bat looked at shocker as Red slumped to 66/5 with most of their top order obviously failing, Nath Patrick impressed with the opening two wickets on the back of his call up to the CW T20 International squad, Liam Goff was really the only batsman to provide any resistance in the middle order as he looked right at home in making a hard fought 35 in the tough conditions. Marc Robbins Jnr contributed 21 runs in the lower order but it was inevitably Neil Pickup who came on and delivered the knock out blow, the veteran leg spinner claimed 4/23 in his best performance of the season. Red were all out for just 147 leaving Black the chance of taking two bonus points.
Despite the wintery conditions Black seemed intent on doing whatever they could to claim the double bonus point victory, David Kennett though hadn't given up on Red stealing an unlikely victory as he got the wicket of Ash Chaulk early on and that was followed by first change seamer Martin West removing other opener James Stedman for 27. With the required run rate climbing for Black to knock off the runs in under 25 overs Dan Smith saw Josh Ritchie and Andrew Cloete fall at the hands of Marc Robbins Jnr, Sam Morris joined his captain at the crease and the pair set about taking home the points for Black. Unfortunately for the visitors the 25th over finished and they were painstakingly close to the target but the Red's bowlers had done enough to deny them the victory in the time they were hoping, three balls into the 26th over the match was finished with Dan Smith bringing up his half century off Mitch Rapp, Black losing 4 wickets in their total of 148.
Cricketweb Red 147 (33.3)
LJ Goff 35(51), MJ Robbins Jnr 21(35), NS Pickup 4/23, NL Patrick 2/22
Cricketweb Black 148/4 (25.3)
DP Smith 51*(50), SC Morris 35*(25), MJ Robbins Jnr 2/26
Cricketweb Black won by 6 wickets with 147 balls to spare
Man of the Match: NS Pickup (CW Black)
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Really happy with the result, both batsmen and bowlers contributed really well and hopefully it's a sign of better things to come. 
