Iwerne & Fontmell

Jon Dixon

Grant Neven's Portland Red Triangle Sunday XI took to the field following a pre-match debrief from Jon Dixon. Dicko called the side together before play started, shutting them inside the home dressing room to highlight the danger men in the Iwerne & Fontmell team.

Triangle were in the field, opening with the twin pace attack of Sami and Warner, it was the Sri Lankan who had an immediate effect as he bowled Dicko's danger man with the first ball of the match, clipping the top of off stump. The big man wasn't happy as he walked back to the pavilion muttering that the ball had moved at least 2 feet in the cross-wind and that's why he'd shouldered arms. This brought together the Wisset-Warners who put on just 14 before the son top-edged a drive and a steepling catch was held at third man by Alex Warner.

Warner, meanwhile had been testing the batsmen with deliveries just short of a short length giving them some respite from Sami as they were able to play him fairly easily. Neven decided that after 5 overs of this barrage, enough was enough, so Dicko entered the attack, replacing Alex, and bowled Wisset-Warner Snr.

Squeaker "Steven" Browne was then brought on for Sami and his 4 over spell of medium pace was lashed, as Jan Davey would say, "to all corners of the oval." 3 more wickets from Dicko had Iwerne on the rack at 77/5. Squeaker's nemesis was Newton who hit a quickfire 27, not anticipated in Dicko's pre-match pep talk, as he with Hamblin took the score past 100. Newton then became Dicko's final victim thanks to a lightning stumping by Neven. Further wickets fell as Iwerne laboured to 124/8 with Redpole chipping in 2 including a neat caught and bowled.

Meanwhile, Hamblin was calmly reaching his half-century and he then went on to top score with 77. His efforts with Cross (11) saw 55 put on for the 9th wicket, before Redpole trapped Hamblin lbw, and Warner wrapped up the innings with a fuller delivery to dismiss Strange as they closed on 180.

Neven sent out Males and Gates to open and things were going well until Males (15) was bowled by a low delivery from Earney with the score on 60. Gates followed 12 runs later caught off Earney for 45. Buster Brown lasted just 2 balls as Earney had him caught behind as he attempted a late cut. The collapse was on as Dicko was out trying to hit over the top of mid wicket, but didn't get any power behind his shot and then Sami was stumped off Earney.

With the score at a precarious 82/5 Neven sent in Redpole, he lasted briefly bowled by the gentle off breaks of Hamblin forcing the skip to go to war at 90/6. A typically swashbuckling innings saw him score 23 runs all on the legside, receiving some support from Warner (14) and Clifford (3) before falling to the nippy medium of Newton.

It was left to Ashley Hallett and Browne to salvage something with Triangle on 138/9, Buster calculated at this point they needed about 11 an over and Aarron Riley agreed that was probably about right. A spirited 16 run partnership for the last wicket saw Portland secure another batting point, but it was Browne who fell bowled by young Wisset-Warner playing an ugly shot across the line which saw his middle stump uprooted.

PRT 9, Iwerne & Fontmell 20