Cumbria’s acting captain Matthew Sempill warmed up for Sunday’s NCCA Trophy showdown with a brilliant century last night.
Sempill became the first batsman in the competition’s short history to hit a ton in the Cumbria League’s T20.
Playing against Carlisle at Sandair, the Cockermouth skipper was at the crease after opener Greg Platten had been trapped leg before by Sempill’s Cumbria team-mate Nico Watt.
Sempill then proceeded to hammer exactly 100 off 61 balls, which included 11 fours and five sixes. It included 28 from one over by Fraser Conn and one of his boundary clearances actually struck his mother’s footstool from where she was watching the game!
His knock dominated the Cockermouth innings which ended on 155-6 and Watt, despite the carnage finished with 3-34 from his four overs.
There was, however, a disappointing finish which had to go to Duckworth Lewis because of the intervention of rain.
Carlisle had made 71-4, led by Zephania Arinaitwe (22 off ten) from nine overs when play ended. Their revised target from nine overs was calculated at 73, so Cockermouth won by one run.
For Cockermouth Andrew Dodds had 2-15 and Ethan Hardie-Knight took 2-20.
Sempill’s innings over-shadowed what would have been the obvious headline – another win for Wigton.
After beating Cockermouth, the Lowmoor Road side won their home game with Keswick by 12 runs.
Put in to bat Wigton found plenty of runs at the top of the order as John Reed (50 off 33), Chris Hodgson (38 off 27) and Kieran Little (22) gave them a great start.
They eventually completed their 20 overs on 153-5 with Ben Sharp (2-25) the most successful Keswick bowler.
Sharp and pro Risith Upamal both went early to Dean Thomlinson but there were good contributions from Finn Turnbull (37), James McGown (31), skipper Will Atkinson (29) and Glen Weightman (21).
In the end though they came up short on 141-7 after their 20 overs with Thomlinson (2-23) and Cameron McGuinness (2-32) the most successful Wigton bowlers.
Millom were ten wicket winners in their south group game against Dalton. They whipped-out the visitors for just 51 in 16.4 overs.
Kagiso Rapulana (14) and Adam Hunter (10) were the only two Dalton players in double figures.
Ben High (4-7), Declan Tyson (2-7) and Braith Connor (2-16) shared the bowling honours.
Millom’s openers Graham Dawson (38no) and Nathan Waterston (7no) knocked off the runs in just 4.1 overs.
Sadly Haverigg conceded their group game at Furness.
