Life's tough at the top for Triangle

Portland Red Triangle are beginning to discover just how tough life can be for a newly promoted team in the NSA Dorset Premier Division as they crashed to their third successive defeat at Reforne.

Opponents Poole comfortably passed the home total of 175 with seven wickets in hand and a massive 12 overs to spare.

After being asked to bat in blustery conditions on a slow pitch, home openers Martin Hewson and Jan Davey made a cautious start.

Just 11 runs came from the first ten overs, before Davey struck three boundaries off Dave Porter's second over, the 12th of the innings, to get the scoreboard ticking over.

The acceleration continued during the next ten overs, and the score had reached 85, when the home skipper was run out for 35. Two overs later Davey was well held on the square leg boundary by New Zealander Guy Bidwell as he attempted to punish a leg side full toss from Nick Williams.

But with Simon Browne and Gary Randell beginning to hit top gear, the islanders looked set for a useful total as the score reached 127-2 with 15 overs remaining.

However, the Williams leg side full toss came into play again as Randell was also caught on the boundary by Bidwell. The innings then became becalmed with the score on 141 and only one run was scored in the next five overs as the visiting bowlers gained the upper hand. Jason Styles attempted to rectify matters but fell to a Porter full toss as Bidwell gratefully accepted his third catch of the afternoon.

The later batsmen pushed and scrambled the total to 175-8 at the end of 50 overs, but the last 15 overs of the innings yielded just 48 runs for the loss of six wickets.

Triangle needed an early breakthrough and got it when Browne trapped Williams leg before with the score on 7. The Terras defender then had Ben Skipworth well held by Alex Charlton with the score on 29 and when he bowled opener Ed Hockey for 33, the visitors were looking decidedly shaky at 61-3.

However, rescue arrived in the form of Bidwell and former Dorset player David Miller. Together they forged an unbroken match-winning partnership of 115, both reaching their half centuries, as they took their side past the home total in the 38th over.

Squally rain and a cold wind made life tough for the Triangle bowlers with the two punishing anything loose as they saw the visitors through to their third victory in four games.

Triangle skipper Hewson was disappointed with the way things had gone.

"We let ourselves down again," he said. " We ended up 50 runs short of the total we should have got and although we gave ourselves a squeak of a chance in the field our bowling lacked penetration and in the end it was easy for them, although it must be said they did have the better of the weather conditions."