Frome lose out in rain affected game

Frome 1st XI fell to their second defeat of the season on Saturday as, despite playing the better cricket for the majority of the game, the rain allowed opponents Street to steal a five-wicket victory.

Despite torrential rain around most of Somerset, Street did well to avoid all but a brief shower and play got under way at 1.30pm in a match reduced to 45 overs per side. After winning the toss Street elected to field, a decision which was to prove shrewd.

Frome openers David Dredge and Paul Sanger again got off to a flying start. Watchful at first, they soon got into their stride, with Dredge finding the boundary with several pull shots.

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The 50 partnership came up after 12 overs and the pair accelerated to go past 100 inside 21 overs.

With a strong platform set and one run from a half-century, Dredge provided a return catch to Mitchell. It sparked a collapse as Bleakley skied a catch without scoring and Sanger chipped a catch to midwicket for 44.

When Smith (3) was adjudged lbw, Frome’s good start was undone and it was left to Dan Dredge and Stonell to rebuild. Both played sensibly, with Dredge finding the occasional big six to guide the score past 150 and, when Stonell departed for eight Unwin gave Dredge good support.

At 167-5, Frome needed to accelerate further to post a strong total and they did as Dredge found more sixes and Unwin (12) and Neal (8) chipped in with boundaries of their own. Frome eventually finished on 220-8, a more than competitive score.

Frome made the ideal start to Street’s reply as Evely was caught at slip by Hamblin off Wheeler. The same partnership should have produced number two straight afterwards but the chance went down.

The Street batsmen then settled well and, despite a slowish start, were soon up with the run-rate before the introduction of spin saw the second wicket fall as David Higgs was smartly stumped down the leg side by Smith off the bowling of Mark Sanger.

The spin of Sanger and Hamblin began to put the squeeze on but the odd boundary from Hill kept Street close to the required rate.

With the score at 93-2 from 18 overs and the game in the balance the rain arrived. After initially leaving the field for thunder, a torrential downpour followed and an hour later the outfield was flooded in many places.

Knowing a reduced-overs game would mean likely victory, the Street faithful used sponges, forks and leaf-blowers to dry the outfield and the outfield was deemed playable at 7.35pm with just enough time for the eight overs required to constitute a game.

Street now needed just 32 from eight overs with eight wickets still in hand. Frome showed real heart to take three further wickets and push Street all the way but the victory was inevitable.