WEYMOUTH 256 (13pts) lost to PARLEY 264 (20pts) by eight runs
IF IT’S thrilling cricket you want then Weymouth are undoubtedly the side to watch this season.
Three weeks running the Seasiders have been involved in games that have gone down to the absolute wire.
But following last gasp successes over Blandford and Stalbridge, David Trotter's men failed to make it a hat-trick against Parley at Redlands.
In terms of entertainment, you couldn’t have asked for more with 520 runs scored and 20 wickets falling.
However, it was the visitors who took the spoils as Weymouth failed by just nine runs to reach a victory target of 265, and that despite an excellent 90 from wicket-keeper Jim Ryall.
“It was another cracking game,” admitted Trotter, “and fantastic to play in. Obviously the result was a big disappointment but, as the saying goes, cricket was the real winner.
“Chasing a big target we came within a whisker and maybe should have won it. But we have to take it on the chin and pick ourselves up.”
Parley won the toss and predictably batted first on another belter of a Redlands surface and they owed much to the efforts of three men in particular.
Indian Raj Naik led the way with a hard struck 75 while Rik Embalagama’s 42 and Rob Gunn’s unbeaten 59 helped take the visitors’ score beyond a highly competetive 250.
Pick of the home attack was Aussie Cube Whyte who claimed three victims with his off spin while Simon Browne (2-43) and Keiron Womble (2-9) made useful contributions.
One huge setback for Weymouth came when Sean Fitzgerald pulled up with a calf muscle injury – something that was to prove costly during their reply.
The hosts got off to a solid start as Ryall and Paul Payne (36) put on 86 for the first wicket and Tommy England (26) continued that good work.
England was replaced by Dean Janaway at the crease and when he and Ryall took he score past 200, it looked like it was going to be the Seasiders’ day.
But after the pair were dismissed in quick succession – Janaway for 43 and Ryall for that superb 90 that included 10 boundaries – things began to fall apart.
In fact, only Whyte (15) managed double figures after that, with a hobbling Fitzgerald the last man to fall having been forced to bat at number 11 instead of his usual position of number three.
In the end Weymouth came up just short although no one could fault Trotter’s side for their effort and determination.
The captain added: “If Fitz had been fit then maybe we would have won it. But that’s the way it goes sometimes and the luck was with Parley.
“In a way I think we threw it away after the hard work that Jim, Payner, Tommy and Janners had put in, but credit to Parley who looked a really decent team.”
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