PAPPLEWICK AND LINBY 149-4dec
WELBECK COLLIERY 31-0
(match abandoned: rain)

Every other match in the league was postponed without a ball being bowled, leaving each team, including title-chasers Caythorpe, West Indian Cavaliers and Kimberley, with only six points apiece.

But Papplewick not only managed to start their match at home to Welbeck Colliery – after heroic efforts to get the pitch playable by mid-afternoon – they also squeezed a total of ten points from it.

The match, which was reduced to 35 overs per side, eventually succumbed to the weather – just before 7 pm after Welbeck had started their reply.

But as well as the six points for the abandonment, Papplewick also collected four for passing 140 after being put into bat. And the total of ten was enough to lift them into second place in the table, 12 points behind leaders Caythorpe, with five games to play.

Not for the first time this season, workmanlike opening bat John Wakeling was the mainstay of Papplewick's innings.

Playing against his former club, Wakeling grafted his way to an unbeaten 73, which included seven boundaries.

He shared stands of 58 for the second wicket with Sri Lankan Kosela Kulasekara, 34 for the third wicket with skipper Phil DeFreitas and 44 for the fifth wicket with Charles Dagnall (19 not out).

Wary at all times of the rain clouds, Papplewick gambled by declaring in the 30th of their 35 overs, thus giving them more time to bowl Welbeck out.

But by the time they had been forced to draw stumps, it was touch and go whether the gamble would pay off.

For the visitors, who are captained by ex-Notts CCC batsman Darren Bicknell, had eased to 31 without loss by the 13th over, with opener Martin Dobson 23 not out.

And had the rain not intervened, Welbeck would have required a further 119 from 27 overs, with all wickets standing, to pull off a shock win.