Cumbria beat Lincolnshire – and the weather – to earn a home tie in the quarter finals of the NCCA Trophy competition.
For no sooner had they completed a nine-wicket win at Keswick than the rain, which had been forecast, arrived and would have caused an abandonment if coming much sooner.
The game was finished after just 34 overs when Lincolnshire won the toss and elected to bat; were rolled over for 65 and then Cumbria knocked them off for the loss of just one wicket.
The visitors were undone by the opening home pair of Edwin Moulton (4-28) and skipper Michael Slack (3-16), backed-up by Matthew Siddall (1-4) and Nico Watt (1-11).
Highlights included a fine catch by Sam Sharp to dismiss opener Ben Wright for five as he had to run back from mid-wicket and position himself under a skier; a spectacular delivery from Moulton which uprooted Drew Sylvester’s middle stump and a fine run-out of top-scorer Joe Pocklington (17) by Matt Sempill who threw himself forward from mid-wicket, gathered the ball and threw down the wicket in one seamless movement.
Cumbria had to make one late change after Freddie Fallows reported sick in the morning and Penrith’s James Bowman came in.
Bowman hit 27 off 23 deliveries before being caught going for the winning boundary but Cumbria reached 66-1 off 8.4 overs with Sam Dutton 23 not out.
