Wisbech slip up on a pudding of a pitch

CAMBS LEAGUE

A PUDDING of a pitch wasn’t to the taste of the Wisbech batsmen who managed to throw away a dominant position on the way to a Cambs Division One defeat at Foxton.

The home side were dismissed for just 89 on a stodgy surface by seamers James Williams (4-27), Jack Hastings (3-19) and Zac Brown (3-24) before Brown (21) and Danny Haynes (17) saw Wisbech to 50-1 in reply.

But Foxton’s new Aussie import Andrew Kealy didn’t give up. He produced a fine spell of left-arm seam bowling to return figures of 7-18 as Wisbech slumped to 58-6 and then to 81 all-out to complete an eight-run reverse.

There was a similar fate for reigning champions Ramsey at Sawston on a day to forget for the area’s batsmen.

Mohammed Haroon, on his debut, and Oliver Verrall each took three wickets as Sawston were skittled for 94.

But Ramsey, despite 20 from teenage openertaylor West, found the going even tougher as they slumped to 79 all out and a 15-run defeat.

“The wicket wasn’t to blame,” admitted Ramsey skipper Michael Cafferkey. “It was more to do with poor shot selection.”

The Division One derbies between Castor and March, and Khalsa and Nassington, were cancelled without a ball being bowled as were the Divisiontwo matches involving

Newborough andyaxley.

WISBECHTOWN’S preparations for the new season were hit by an ECB ban on the club’s Aussie import Adam Meads. The club were refused permission to play the allrounder while checks on his eligibility were conducted.

Meads has subsequently picked up an injury which would have ruled him out for most of the season anyway.

Wisbech have no plans to hire a replacement.