Colwall hold off the rain but suffer defeat (From Malvern Gazette)

Colwall hold off the rain but suffer defeat

8:30am Friday 15th June 2012 in Cricket

DESPITE the atrocious weather of the 48 hours previous to Colwall’s away game against Coombs Wood, the Worcestershire League Division One match started on time.

However, Colwall could only manage 149 all out in reply to the hosts’ total of 212 all out as Coombs Wood claimed a maximum 24-point haul with a 63-run success.

Colwall won the toss, elected to bowl first and the game was full of incident, with a dropped catch off the first ball of the game and a series of half-chances in the opening overs.

The returning James Nightingale got the breakthrough, following up an aggressive bouncer with a fuller ball that McDonald snicked into the gloves of Dan Head. A second wicket, involving the same Colwall combination, soon followed, leaving Coombs Wood on 25-2.

After Hunter and Marshall replaced the opening bowlers, further wickets soon followed.

Hunter (3-26) tempted Peruzza (14) into a mis-timed hook to square-leg, before spinner Marshall (2-38) had dogged opener Longford (43) caught by Damien Berry at short mid-wicket.

That brought Dan Jones to the crease, who quickly witnessed a further two losses — Moorcroft (0) and Boswell (1) both succumbing to successful LBW appeals.

Coombs Wood were rocking on 76-6, but Jones and Dan Birch (33) capitalised on the improving conditions and smashed a series of big sixes and fours around the ground.

Nightingale (4-63) ended the 80- run partnership, but Jones continued his impressive hitting, before finally holing out to long-on off the bowling of Berry for a momentum-changing 73.

In reply, Panniers (12) and Head (10) made starts to their innings, while Dan Mackay saw off a barrage of short deliveries.

But by the time skipper James Abel (4) was bowled by spinner Stuart Baker, Colwall were on 30-3.

Mackay reached 20 before also departing, bowled by all-rounder Dan Jones, and Rory Jones was then dismissed, by Langford for just three.

With five wickets down, Colwall desperately needed to consolidate their innings in a similar fashion to how their hosts had in the first innings.

It was the youthful partnership of debutant Max Backhouse and Sam Crichard (15) that finally began to calm things down for the visitors.

Dylan Marshall (16) joined Backhouse in the middle and the young Aussie looked assured as he combined some delicate glances with a couple of powerful strikes.

Hunter, Nightingale and Berry all fell victim to Mahmood (5-36) with no contribution to the scoreboard, leaving Backhouse unbeaten on 54 as Coombs Wood claimed victory.