CCA Junior League 1B

Barley 110-6 (19 overs)

Elmdon 109 (31 overs)

BARLEY beat Elmdon by four wickets on Saturday – a victory that owed much to a strange decision at the toss as well as Richie Wilson’s seven-wicket haul.

After the morning’s heavy rain, Barley skipper Brian Symes feared the worst as he once again lost the toss. But to his relief, Elmdon captain Daniel Gaine inexplicably chose to bat on a still drying out wicket.

Michael Ross opened up the hill and gave very little away to Elmdon’s Turner (33) and Badcock (33) as he went for just 22 runs from his 10-over spell.

Wakeel Shah (0-25) bowled down the hill at pace and always threatened to take wickets during his four overs but he bowled a little too short for the conditions and was hit to the boundary too many times for Symes’ liking so he was replaced by Richie Wilson.

And he immediately found swing and bounce which soon had Elmdon in trouble. Wickets began to fall almost at every over as wicketkeeper Andy Hunt took four excellent catches. Chris Allan and Symes both took acrobatic catches with the damp ball and Wilson also clean bowled Archie Adams (0) and Ben Morgan (4).

In all, Wilson claimed seven wickets for 43 runs in a fabulous display of attacking bowling.

Leigh Stewart (1-10) chipped in with the wicket of opener Turner before he was replaced after an accident left an Elmdon batsman with a split lip and broken teeth and needing hospital treatment.

Stewart was a little shaken up so Haydon Vokes (0-8) ably took over bowling duties up the hill but it was Symes (0-1) who bowled the last man out leaving Elmdon 109 all-out in 31 overs.

Tea was taken early whilst the rain persisted but by 4.30 the game could go on so Jamie Walters and Symes quickly set about the Elmdon attack before the skipper dollied a catch back to Mahmood for 11.

Chris Allan came to the crease and smashed a few boundaries before edging a remarkable catch to the ‘keeper for 22. Wilson joined Walters and the score had reached 58 from 11 overs before the heavens opened again.

A long delay and their impossible position saw Elmdon try and have the match abandoned but as the storm clouds scudded harmlessly past the Barley ground and with plenty of daylight left, umpire Eric Davis was having none of it and play duly resumed.

Amid much grumbling about the quantity of blood and sawdust on the wicket, Elmdon had a glimmer of a chance to win the game as Walters (15), Wilson (11) and Chris Markham (0) were all dismissed trying to force a victory before the rains returned.

Bangladeshi left-arm spinner Arif Maharood took five excellent wickets for 42 runs for Elmdon. But in the end Shah (24*) and Stewart (4*), fresh from scoring a century the week before, kept their heads and with some fabulous shots from Shah and a lusty four over deep mid-on from Stewart, Barley won the game with half their 40 overs remaining.