A 195-run opening partnership between Tom Morton and Kaiden Cookson fired Sarisbury Athletic to a 68-run victory at Rowledge on Saturday in Division One of the Southern Premier Cricket League.
Rowledge bowled with intent and control with Max Martin and Richard Forbes producing good figures – but the Sarisbury openers batted supremely well and never looked in trouble as they slowly increased the run rate. Too their credit the home side battled hard and never gave up on the cause, with David Lloyd producing another fine spell of bowling and the spinners not giving anything away.
Three interruptions for rain didn’t help the game, but Rowledge showed good spirit to keep the total within reach. The introduction of pace from youngsters Ed Reilly and Ollie Ryman led to a fall of wickets, with Ryman finishing with five for 46 as the visitors tried to increase the run rate without too much success.
It was a gutsy performance in the field by the young Rowledge team against a quality batting onslaught, and a total of 250 for six was a credit to Rowledge’s spirit.
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The loss of time meant Rowledge were set a Duckworth Lewis target of 205 in 33 overs. Openers Jontie Sebborn and Zac Le Roux started positively with a 43-run partnership in eight overs, but a middle-order collapse saw Rowledge reduced to 49 for five. Ryman joined Ollie Baker to restore some common sense to the proceedings, and the pair batted sensibly to bring the innings together without threatening the final target.
The innings faded way after the dismissals of the pair, with Rowledge finishing on 136 for nine.
Rowledge’s second team fell to a 52-run defeat at Sarisbury Athletic’s second team. Rowledge scored 259 for eight chasing Sarisbury’s 311 for five, with Sam Marshall scoring his third century of the season.