Suffering in the rain

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There were black clouds over Rye this weekend as the rain continued to blight the start to the cricket season. The 1st XI were hosting Ifield at the Salts and the game was only able to be played due to the efforts of those who had put the covers on and off and removed gallons of water with the Super Sopper.

Rye won the toss, and given the conditions made the important decision to invite Ifield to bat. Rye got off to a flyer reducing Ifield to 10-2 as Tobias Farrow took 2-7 off 5 overs. Ifield limped on as the game was interrupted by showers. Graeme Dean hit 34 off 84 balls and Daniel Groves at the tail end struck 36 off 39 balls, as Ifield’s innings finished on 132-5 off 30 overs.

During another rain interval and tea the umpires conferred and emerged from their discussion with a revised target for Rye of 166 off 30 overs. There then ensued a series of quizzical looks and questions as to the logic. Apparently Duckworth / Lewis had spoken.

Rye’s innings then faced a challenge in deteriorating conditions. Wickets were lost as runs were sought. Luke Payton struck 31 off 39 balls including three sixes. But in the conditions a ball was always going to do something unpredictably. In the end Rye were dismissed for 95 in the 26th over as the game finished at 6.45pm.

Subsequently a reading of the league regulations has revealed the incorrect application of the D/L method. Rye’s target should have been 133. The club has notified the league.

And Seconds get showered

The 2nds travelled to play Herstmonceux 1st XI through a succession of showers. However the game did begin on time, as Herstmonceux won the toss and the innings commenced in drizzle. In the wet conditions the ball rapidly resembled a bar of soap, and the ball slipped easily to the boundary, especially the small straight boundary.

Billy Hobden (52), Joseph Neilan (36) and former Rye player Mickey Toomey (46) took Herstmonceux to 136-2. Only Ben Clifton put a brake on the scoring with 8 overs (0-19) as the edge of the bat eluded the ball. Martin Blincow struck at the back end of the innings with 3-32 off 8 overs, but Alex Smith (39) bludgeoned Herstmonceux to 209-7 in 40 overs.

Rye commenced their innings in sunshine and a drying wicket and, just like the proverbial game of two halves, this was a game of two wickets. Suddenly the ball behaved like a tennis ball, and spiteful. Rye regularly lost wickets as the irregular bounce caused their downfall, allied by a hat trick of spectacular catches by Alex Smith.

Ross Pierce top scored at the tail end with 24 as Rye were dismissed for 95. Billy Hobden (4-22) and Tom Crouch (3-7) did the damage with the ball…..a hard red cherry…..not a ball of soap.

Thirds spared as coaching continues

The Thirds were spared the travails of wet weather cricket as their fixture at Willingdon 3rds was cancelled due to a wet wicket.

This Saturday with the prospect of better weather Rye 1sts travel to St Peter’s in Brighton, in a game to be streamed live on You Tube by the Sussex League. The 2nds host St Peter’s 2nd at Rye and the 3rds host Westfield 2nds at Icklesham.

Next week the U13s host Folkestone on Thursday, and hardball cricket coaching is on Tuesday, and softball, All Stars 6pm and Cricket Dynamos at 7pm on Friday – all of whom are hoping to get cricket under way in June after the extremely wet and windy May.

Image Credits: Rye Cricket Club .

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