Match report: Rain the real winner as Lymington CC's (144) and Alton CC’s (15-1) match abandoned
Given the forecast, it was always going to be a battle against the rain, and it was a credit to the groundsmen and the positive attitude of the umpires that the game started and lasted 58 overs before conditions became impossible.
For Lymington, it was the batting of Terry Crabb that kept Lymington in the game, writes Lionel Colby. The game featured four of the top-five Premier Division bowlers this season, including Lymington’s Gareth Berg (first) and Eddie Withington (fourth).
It was a toss to win, but as Berg lost it, Lymington was inevitably put in to bat with the damp, cloudy conditions favouring the fast bowlers.
Openers Bash Walters (3-51) and June Wright (3-41) bowled 30 overs between them and are now both in the top five wicket-takers for the season.
Lymington’s Ben Shoare (10) and Crabb (79) inevitably got off to a slow start, putting on 19 runs for the first wicket before Shoare was caught.
This then led to a batting collapse as six wickets fell for just 32 runs, including three ducks.
Eventually, Crabb was then joined by Josh Royan (38 not out) as the pair put on 89 runs for the seventh wicket in 167 balls. Batting sensibly with Crabb having spent the week adjusting his technique, the pair took the initiative away from the Alton bowlers as the innings gained momentum.
With the departure of Crabb, having hit 13 fours and one six, the innings subsided with the last four wickets falling for just four runs being largely polished off by spinner Tom South (3-22) leaving Josh Royan high and dry.
It was a day of taking wickets behind the stumps that included wicket-keeper Mark Hefferman with three catches and one stumping.
Lymington opening bowler Withington (1-7) was again quick off the mark taking a wicket in his first over thanks to a sharp catch in the slips by Ryan Scott.
This represents the fifth time in six league games he has taken a wicket in his first over as opening batsmen underestimate his pace and swing with the new ball.
However, the rain started to threaten, with a rain break required and a wicket that was becoming slippery for both bowlers and batters, plus an increasingly wet ball.
The sides finally came off at 3.45pm, never to return. Before then, Alton had crawled to 15-1 in 8.2 overs with Sam Ruffell (4 not out) and Sam Ruffell (11 not out), with Gareth Berg (0-8 in four overs) bowling tightly.
Lymington are again at home to the Hampshire Academy, last season’s champions, who lie fifth in the table. They will play in a timed 120-over game at 11am on Saturday. It will also be the vice-president’s day, with donors invited to tea.
