Weather forces Wood Cup into repeat show

Photo: Darren Robinson

FIRST BLOOD . . Opening bowler Aqib Zulfiqar receives the acclaim of his Crompton teammates after trapping Rochdale's Ben Chapman leg before in the second over of the match.

IT was the non-result everybody feared but nobody wanted as the two captains shook hands in the rain.

Crompton had taken the slightest of edges in the quest for a second Wood Cup victory in the resurgent club's history after they had bowled out rivals Rochdale for 183. Boundary-edge experts had that about 20/30 below par.

But the rain that had been forecast for even earlier had already caused one interruption late on and by the time the tea interval was over, all the talk was about statistics.

There had to be at least ten overs of the second innings for it to constitute a contest - otherwise it was an entirely fresh game in two weeks at the immaculate Middleton venue.

The calculation was 38 runs in ten - but not losing more than two wickets in the process - with the wickets and runs ticking up if the overs increased.

But sides knew what they had to do but first they had to get out there and to do that the rain had to stop. It didn't and minutes after captains Simon Wright and Dale Highton met umpires Howard Dronsfield and Trevor Bailey in the middle to call it a day the heavens really did open and that was that.

The game had started under grey skies and no sooner had the strains of the welcoming Uppermill Brass Band faded away than they were replaced by Crompton cheers as opener Ben Chapman was trapped leg before by Alibi Zulfiqar.

Chapman's opening partner Jack Avery was also back in the pavilion cheaply but he had a hand in his own downfall as he failed to spot the quick single to mid-off was to pro Akbar ur Rahman whose direct hit left him high and dry.

That was 28 for two and it was the 21st over before 50 was posted in recovery by Rochdale pro Henry Cooper and Andrew Dawson.

Adam Good (0-11) and Zulfiqar (1-21) had been rested after six apiece and Carl Taylor and the pro were keeping things tight.

Crompton were sharp in the feld too and when teenager Harry Dean took a return catch to dismiss the dangerous Cooper (28) the third wicket had added a hard-worked-for 61.

Dawson went on to make a top score 50 before immediately becoming the first of three wickets for the experienced Crompton captain, holing out to the safe hands of Denis Louis at mid-on.

Michael Harling (23) and Oliver Makin (28) kept the scoreboard moving but the overs were running out as the rain had all reluctantly heading for cover.

They were off 15 minutes but there were plenty of fireworks as Crompton pro ur Rahman took three wickets in five balls to make sure the score was pegged.

Wright finished with three for 37 and ur Rahman four for 16 - a real team effort.

The two teams will certainly know plenty about each other by the time the destiny of the cup is determined - they meet again in the league next weekend before locking horns in the Cup Final II at Towncroft.

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