Only one game was played in a damp start to the 2023 season for the Cumbria Cricket League teams.
Workington won at Cleator with a notable performance from their Kiwi amateur Davis Mills, while all the other five games were abandoned without a ball being bowled.
At Cleator’s J. D. Campbell Memorial Ground they made a late start with the game reduced to 28 overs a side and the home side opting to field first.
Tom Fox (24) and skipper Matthew Lowden (21) gave Workington a solid start with a partnership of 38 for the first wicket but they needed a shrewd knock by Mills (39) at a run-a-ball to get them moving nicely.
When David Blackwell eventually bowled him Workington were 115-6 but had got to 123-8 when their limited overs ran out. Callum Sutton (17) was the fourth batsman to reach double figures.
Tom Sharpe (2-20), Abdul Muzammil (2-22) and Blackwell (2-27) were the most successful Cleator bowlers.
In reply Cleator lost the key wicket of Darren Clark (7), caught behind off Lowden and Tom Sharpe (15) followed the same way off Ben Scott.
New Pakistani professional Abdul Muzammil (10), who played in Scotland for Kilmarnock last season, was clean bowled by Mills to restrict the home side to 40-3.
Mills then put together a spell of six overs, taking 3-10, which were crucial in both doing damage and restricting the Cleator response.
Paul Knott (17) top-scored for Cleator, keeping alive their hopes but he was eventually Mills’ third victim and the innings subsided to 99-8 giving Workington victory by 24 runs.
No play was possible at Sandair where Cockermouth, despite problems with the square had intended to take on Carlisle. They will now start work on the square to re-seed, meaning for the next seven to ten weeks they will have to find alternative home venues.
It was also doom and gloom around the county as rain wiped out – Haverigg v Egremont; Keswick v Lindal Moor; Millom v Furness and Wigton v Whitehaven – who all took four points each.
