CRICKET: Weather is ultimate winner in Saturday washout

After being asked to bat by the visiting skipper, the home side took full advantage of another excellent batting surface and racked up a huge 279-9 from their 48 overs, the match reduced to 96 overs due to a delayed start.

The innings was based around a magnificent century from Prasanna Jayawardena who showed his international class with shots all around the wicket and showed the Bourne bowling attack no mercy. He was finally dismissed for 124, an innings that included 15 boundaries and one maximum.

The Spa were in some trouble at 58-4 but Jaywardena and Tom Dixon shared in a club record sixth wicket partnership of 115. Dixon played his part to score 42, his highest at this level to date.

Quickfire contributions from Henry Wilson (17), Ross Dixon (15), Jean-Pierre Prinsloo (19) and Paul Timby (15no) pushed the team total ever higher, but once the players had retired to the pavilion for the tea break the rain came and the Jubilee Park ground was more akin to a lake that a cricket ground by 5pm. Spa did pick up 10 points for their efforts.

It was much the same story in the corresponding 2nd XI fixture at Bourne where Spa were 93-6 from 28 overs before the thunderstorm hit and forced the match to be abandoned.

At that point, Sam Cherry (15no) and Adam Barker (6no) were the unbeaten batsmen with Matthew Sargeant (34) and Nathan Carter (17) the only other two batsmen to have made any sort of contribution.

After Saturday’s rain, the ground staff at Jubilee Park worked miracles to get the Wanderers 2nd XI game versus Cherry Willingham 2nd XI on and young South African Jean-Pierre Prinsloo would have been delighted as he managed to score his maiden century in all forms of cricket.

Opening the batting, he batted throughout his side’s 40 overs, finishing 105no as the team posted a challenging 227-5. Other valuable contributions came from Chris Anderson, Adam Barker and Henry Wilson.

In reply, the visitors were bowled out for 109. The home side’s opening attack of John Temperton (three wickets) and Jackson Draper (one wicket) set the tone with some accurate bowling. Anderson then picked up two wickets, with Wilson and Alex Hodson both picking up one apiece. The young side also excelled in the field with the Caswell boys, Tom and Ollie, to the fore with a fine run out and catch respectively.