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Rain saves edge

25/ 6/2008

ECB Cheshire County Premier League

Alderley Edge..........................117ao
Bowdon......................................90-4

Rain decimated Saturday’s Premier League programme but every cloud has a silver lining, as it saved Alderley Edge from almost certain defeat at second placed Bowdon.

Alderley lost a crucial toss and had to bat first on a somewhat notorious pitch after rain had reduced the match to an 84-over game.

When Edge batted they were almost immediately in trouble and struggled to score runs on a pitch that offered uneven bounce and significant lateral movement.

Only opener Mark Currie looked anything like at home as he made light of the conditions, racing to a half-century off only 47 balls.

Once Currie had departed for a vital 54, Edge stood at 87-3 off 18 overs. There then followed a remarkable batting collapse that saw put on only another 30 runs for the loss of seven wickets, leaving them 117 all out off just 33 overs, and facing a costly defeat to their nearest rivals.

Only David Leeming (23) and Sohail Rauf with 21 got into double figures of the remaining Edge batsmen.

For Bowdon, Richard Wilkinson took five for 57, but it was Dorset’s 6ft 8in quick bowler Rupert Kitzinger, who had the most remarkable figures of the day, with 7.5 overs, five maidens, five for five.

When Bowdon batted they too found it tough and Edge’s Cheshire paceman Jason Whittaker had them in trouble at 63-4 after 24 overs, but with another 27 overs still available.

Bowdon then pushed on and had reached a match-winning situation of 90-4, when there was significant downpour just before 7.30pm. The players left the field, never to return, with both sides awarded seven points for an abandoned game.

This result left Edge still 16 points clear at the top of the ECB Cheshire County Premier League table.

With the half-way point of the season next week, Alderley need to capitalize on the good fortune that has come their way in a few of the matches and try to take advantage of their strong current position.

Their title bid continues next week when they travel to Urmston.