Rowington travelled the short distance to Leamington on a glorious Saturday afternoon.

 

The day didn't start too well with Vickerstaff becoming no staff and having to go into work but Steve Griffin filled in for him and the Rs were back to 11.

 

Scott Rogers won the toss and elected to bat but his day got worse as he was adjudged to have edged the first ball to the keeper. Eike Gilbert joined Alex Smith and they moved the score to 28 before Smith went back and missed the ball, bowled Grant (Z). Simon Cross joined Gilbert and they started to push the score up until a superb catch by Davison saw Cross go for 27. Gilbert then got bowled for a fine 65 by Davison, Haywood and Jefferson didn't last long and the Rs were in trouble on 122 - 6. Dale Glover played some classy shots but Steve Griffin got a duck and in came Andy Shaw. Together they pushed the score past 150 until Glover was bowled, again by Davison, for 31. In came the talisman Steve Jay and, with his old sparring partner Shaw, they guided the Rs towards the 45 overs as they didn't want to give Leamington any extra overs. They reached the 43rd over when Jay started to go for it and dragged one on, he had 18 and the score had moved on to 188, a precious partnership. Leon Clarke joined Shaw and the score was on 192 when Shaw was caught on the boundary.

Cowan 1 - 36, Grant Z 1 - 36, Grant R 1 - 25, Davison 5 - 34, Lawrence 1 - 25, Ashmore 1 - 38, the Leam bowlers.

 

In reply Jay soon had A Ainscow back in the hutch but Dale and Grant C were hitting any wayward balls to the boundary. A change of bowling saw Glover come in and get Dale for 27 but man of the moment Davison came in and rode his luck and with Grant hammering almost everything he saw they soon got towards the target. Then Eike Gilbert came on and had Grant caught behind first ball for a fine knock of 59 and the next man went the same way for a golden duck - was a come back on the cards? Rogers came back and had Ashmore caught behind and Gilbert got Grant Z plum LBW, but Cowan came in and, with Davison, they guided the Leams home. Davison completing his day with 82 no, Cowan 9.

Jay 1 - 27, Rogers 1 - 27, Glover 1 - 22 and Gilbert 3 - 33, the Rs bowlers.

A couple of home fixtures await the Rs and a couple of wins would see them jump back up the table.

Steve Jay