Carlisle have been knocked off the top of the Cumbria League’s Premier Division for the first time this season.
The first game of the second-half of the season saw the city side losing at home by seven wickets to their nearest challengers Cockermouth.
It was revenge for Cockermouth’s home defeat by Carlisle at the start of the season, so now the Sandair side lead by a single point.
Carlisle had won the toss and elected to bat but struggled to make an impact against a Cockermouth side which bowled tightly and fielded keenly.
Only opener Marc Brown held firm as the former skipper showed great resilience and patience to reach 83 and was actually the ninth wicket to fall. Disappointingly for Carlisle the next best score was 14 from both Tom Benn and Ben Davidson as they were bowled-out for 161 in the last over.
Although the leading wicket-taker and man in form Matthew Siddall only took 1-19 from his 10 overs, fellow Cumbria players Sam Sharp (3-37) and Matthew Sempill (3-25) did enough damage.
By contrast Cockermouth’s batting was solid and effective as Sempill (43no), Ryan Carruthers (39), Alex Grainger (34) and Mikyle Louis (27no) saw them through to victory in the 43rd over at 162-3.
But if Cockermouth’s win changed the order at the top, so too did Egremont’s success at Wigton which lifted them off the bottom.
Although put in to bat Egremont were well satisfied with their eventual score of 193-7, their best total of the season.
It was largely based on a fifth wicket stand between Javon Grosvenor (62) and Vikram Balakrishnan (43no) with a late charge, too, from Shaun Bostock (29).
Wigton’s reply centred on professional Chris Hodgson (45) and Lewis Littler (43) but they fell 22 runs short on 171 all out with Coady Scott (4-21) doing most of the damage for Egremont as they wrapped-up only their second win of the season.
Whitehaven dropped back to the bottom when they went down by 143 runs at home to Workington.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat when a fifth wicket stand of 79 between Adam Chambers (65no) and David Pearce (51) got them moving after looking bound for an average score.
An even better sixth wicket partnership of 91 between Chambers and Sam Bates (34) took them towards their best score of the season. They were helped by 34 extras (including 15 wides) as they reached 253-6 at the close.
Nathan Carmichael (17) proved to be Whitehaven’s top scoring batsman in their reply and they were grateful for 26 extras as they were eventually bowled-out for a disappointing 110 in 33.3 overs.
There’s just no stopping Nathan Waterston of Furness at the moment. At Haverigg he rattled-up his third century of the season, 136 not out.
He has the two highest scores of the season, both unbeaten, and is now well ahead in the race to be first to 1,000 runs with 819 in the locker.
Opening the innings after the champions had elected to bat he faced 158 deliveries and hit 11 fours and five sixes.
His stand for the second wicket with new pro Saad Khan (50) was worth 95 and later he shared an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 160 with Sam Dutton (78no).
Cumbria wicket-keeper Drew Postlethwaite (64) opened for Haverigg and the only real support came from Jordan Postlethwaite (35) as the home side had reached 181-9 after their fifty overs.
Furness used eight bowlers, best of whom was George Smith with 4-39 from his ten overs.
Tightest game was at Millom where the home side beat visitors Cleator by just three runs.
Put in to bat Millom got to 89 in 39.1 overs and in a tense finish Cleator were bowled-out for 86 in the 33rd over.
Keswick were too strong for Dalton after dismissing their hosts for 85 in the 33rd over. Keswick went on to win by eight wickets with almost 30 overs to spare.
