Rain thwarts Beveridge and Byers batting stand

Jul 22 2011 Dumfries Standard Friday

IN THE Scottish Championship match against Poloc on Saturday at Benfield Park Nunholm, Dumfries’ Scott Beveridge and skipper Stuart Corbett-Byers hit 85 and 78 not out respectively in APD Dumfries' total of 241 for 7 in what became a reduced first innings of 45 overs.

At that point the threatened rain finally set in and the match had to be abandoned without the Poloc openers even getting to face a ball.

The all too frequent topic of the summer weather was the main player in Saturday's match. After early morning rain, successful efforts were made to get the ground in good condition and Poloc did not get their expected call of a cancellation.

Poloc won the toss anticipating, and getting, a wicket which would do a bit early on.

Nevertheless the Dumfries opening pair of McBride and Dawson looked set for a partnership when Dawson was caught behind off M Huyser with the score on 28.

Tom McBride went in similar fashion with the score on 57 and when another wicket fell at 81 after twenty overs some rebuilding was required.

That brought Stuart Corbett-Byers out to join an in-form Scott Beveridge batting at three for the partnership that set up the innings.

It was circumspect batting over the next few overs and when the lowering black clouds finally brought rain and an interruption Dumfries were past the hundred at 108 for three after 28 overs.

That interruption reduced the innings to 45 overs and left just 17 overs to post a score to chase.

However, sustained by the tea taken early, Beveridge and Byers proceeded to entertain with powerful hitting and hustled runs as they pushed on at over six an over.

The pair surged past a century partnership when Beveridge attempted one more big hit over long for the team but missed to be bowled for 85 with just over five overs left when his century looked likely.

Those last five yielded 54 runs with Corbett-Byers launching 40 of them as he dominated the batting. He was joined by a series of partners as wickets were sacrificed for runs with Bilal Chaudhry picking up two wickets. The captain finished on 78 not out and the side had reached 241 for seven when the final over was completed with more ominous rain falling.

More overs were being lost to the conditions while the sides waited in the pavilion and, despite fingers poised over a network of computers to determine a revised Duckworth-Lewis target for Poloc to chase, mere rain became a 'tropical' downpour.

Once again, in a dreadful season of cancelled and abandoned games, a match fell victim to the weather and with an interesting second innings chase in prospect.

The remaining championship league programme was similarly affected with only one match completed out of the seven matches.

That leaves APD Dumfries still in fourth place having completed just five games out of a possible eleven with any future wins and losses having a significant effect on the percentage based table.

Scoreboard:

Scottish Championship. Match ball sponsored by Creative Ceilings, J&E Shepherd

APD Dumfries (1st XI) v Poloc, at Benfield Park Nunholm. No result. Match abandoned.

APD Dumfries 241-7 (innings reduced to 45 overs)

S Beveridge 85, S Corbett-Byers 78no, MA Huyser nine overs 3 for 42