Portland

Jon Dixon

Triangle will fell hard done by not come away with more from a tightly-contested match against Iwerne & Fontmell. Batting first after Bill Trevett went against form and won the toss, Triangle lost the early wicket of Laurence West, who in missing a straight full toss saw his average plummet to 62.

Jon Dixon joined Dave Males and the pair added 56 runs for the second wicket, though it was Dixon (37) who dominated the scoring as Males was finding runs hard to come by managing to scrape together just 9 from the first 20. Following the loss of Dixon, who was out to a steepling catch on the boundary, when he tried and failed to send Bob Earney over the ropes for a second time, it was Pegrum who was next in.

Chris played some well-timed stokes for boundaries, but he too was unable to resist the charms of Earney, and holed out to Newton at mid wicket. Now operating with two spinners, as Hamblin joined the attack, Alex Warner was next to perish, but was unlucky to be out just as the rains forced a break in play.

After an early tea was taken with 35 overs gone, Males was given the "hurry up" and in his haste to accumulate runs, called Redpole through for a single after hitting the ball straight to cover. Needless to say, hampered by his knee injury, Redpole was unable to make his ground and despite a despairing dive and slide along the now muddy wicket, he was run out without facing a ball. Words were exchanged with his former batting partner as he was replaced by Sami Rathnayake.

Males added just 2 more runs to his total of 24 as he was caught by Newton when attempting to attack Hamblin in the 36th over. Triangle were now desperately scrambling for runs with overs running out and the skipper added a quick 14 with Rathnayake before being caught off Marshall. Neven was in and out in a trice as Dixon didn't hesitate in raising the finger when he was rapped on the pads by Hamblin. Young Proffitt was next in and ran well with Sami before the Sri Lankan was bowled in the pursuit of quick runs. Morris and Prof then moved the score past another batting point as the islanders finished on 158.

With rain clouds massing in the distance, Iwerne sent out pinch-hitter Newton who did his job with a swashbuckling 60, though should have been out early on if it wasn't for Morris dropping him at mid wicket off Rathnayake. Warner was replaced by Dixon and the veteran spinner began to weave his magic as he accounted for Marshall and then Cheverton to a fine catch by Pegrum at first slip.

Morris replaced Rathnayake and almost had Newton first ball, though despite hitting the ball straight up, Dixon was unable to make the ground to catch him at mid on. Newton led a charmed life as he Warner nearly pulled off a spectacular one-handed catch at backward point, and then Redpole was all at sea as the ball flew skywards but the fielder lost it completely. Dixon finally got his man, after Newton dispatched him for a big straight six, trapping the opener lbw. Ward should have followed soon after and given Dixon his fourth wicket of the afternoon, if only Neven hadn't dropped him behind the stumps.

Trevett replaced the luckless Morris and soon had Earney's scalp when the big no. 5 came down the track, missed the ball and lost his middle stump. As the 30th over started, so did the rain, with the run rates almost identical, Ward hit Trevett over the top and managed to run a decisive 4 following Dixon's delayed chase for the ball.

Play was abandoned as the heavens opened, and after consulting the DCA Yearbook, neither side was able to determine the victor as Triangle were ahead if the score was taken from the last completed over, while Iwerne & Fontmell triumphed if it was the score when play was suspended. It was left to the league secretary's interpretation of the rules who found in favour of the home side so Portland lost by 6 wickets.

PRT 6, Iwerne & Fontmell 16