By Rain caused the 4 Probate & Wills ECB Yorkshire South Premier League game between Elsecar and Cleethorpes to be abandoned after the home side had scored 218-4.
The Cleethorpes party were concerned when they arrived at the Al-|Murad Stadium that the bowlers run ups had not dried out from the previous day’s rain. With the actual playing area still damp, play was delayed for 90 minutes, with the overs being reduced to 46 per side.
Batting first, the home side scored briskly with Pakistan batsman Muhammad Saeed Anwar being severe on anything off line.
Cleethorpes Captain, James Osmond, still appeared to be worried about his bowlers injury risks when running in to bowl, and quickly withdrew Joe Baker after he had bowled only two overs.
Sawdust was repeatedly brought out to the middle before the Meggies made a breakthrough. First change bowler, Lee Charlton, had Paul Cummins caught behind with the total on 35, and ten runs later Basheeru Walters clean bowled Charlie Kay.
Walters was then withdrawn from the attack, never to return, after bowling 7 overs at a cost of only 16 runs. Osmond decided to take pace off the ball, and attacked with a combination of Charlton, and teenager Jack Holmes who had come into the side as a late replacement for an unwell Harry Costello.
Elsecar continued to prosper with Anwar scoring the majority of the runs. Along with Ian Swallow he contributed 41 of a 50 run partnership before Cleethorpes responded by switching to a combined spin attack shared between Jordan Cook, Alex Osmond and Louis Kimber.
This had an effect on the run rate which was reigned in before the home side lost a 3rd wicket. The stand was worth 79 when Swallow, on 17, helped a Cook delivery away on the leg side but straight into the hands of the waiting Tom Rollinson.
At this time Anwar had scored 89 of the 124 runs on the board, and he moved swiftly towards his second century of the season one over before 150 appeared on the board. The left handed stroke maker had hit eleven fours and four sixes in reaching three figures from 128 balls.
He eventually fell to Kimber, caught on the boundary, after making 125, but there was no respite for the Meggies as Tanzeel Ali launched an assault on their tiring attack, completing a quick fire 50 from 41 balls with 4 huge sixes. He reached his half century from the final ball of the innings as rain began to fall.
During the interval the wicket was quickly covered, but the rain became torrential and combined with the state of the ground before play commenced there was little chance of a resumption of play. The umpires however decided, after an inspection, to give it a further hour to dry out, but with storms surrounding the area this was a forlorn hope, and the game was eventually abandoned.
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