Rain arrives at crucial time in Cutthorpe match

The visitors sat bottom of the table without a positive result this season with Cutthorpe looking to extend the gap from the relegation places.

Skipper David Bush won the toss and elected to bowl first. With overnight and early morning rain conditions definitely looked to be in favour of the bowlers and so it proved.

Despite an early flurry of boundaries to ex Derbyshire player Adrian Rollins (22), Cutthorpe’s opening attack of Josh Savage and Asad Butt started to find some good areas and wickets subsequently tumbled. Rollins was the first to go, caught behind off a well-directed Savage bouncer, with Paul Burdett taking a smart catch high above his head.

In Savage’s next over he took the wicket of the dangerous Haider for just 4, with Liam Sadler taking an excellent catch at point. When Asad Butt then had Harry Clamp plumb LBW without scoring, Quarndon were 31-3.

This soon became 47-7 as the procession continued. Overseas player Ali Khan played onto his own stumps off Savage, Alex Goodwin played across the line and was bowled by Butt, then Savage got the big wicket of Nathan Dumelow for just 9, caught behind by Burdett before Butt forced a false shot from Iftikhar Asghar. Both opening bowlers had done the damage, Savage finishing with 4-30 and Butt 3-27.

From here Quarndon made a fist of it, Michael Lindsey making 22, and with help from the rest of the lower order they were eventually all out for 91 in the 37th over. Steven Chapman picking up 2-25, and Liam Sadler taking the final wicket to finish with 1-3.

The conditions were still hugely in favour of the bowler so Cutthorpe were taking nothing for granted. This was to be shown as the hosts were soon 13-3, with both openers Kev Leatherday and Matt Clue dismissed as well as Burdett.

This had given Quarndon some real belief and they continued to make inroads into the Cutthorpe batting line up. Andy Thompson was the next to go, bowled by Khan and then when Savage and Ed Barlow (20) were out in quick succession, both to Khan who now had five wickets, Cutthorpe were really struggling at 47-6.

A partnership was desperately required and between Bush and Butt the score started to tick along, with Butt in particular making his intentions clear with two boundaries off his first three balls. The pair started to look like they would take Cutthorpe close but both were dismissed in quick succession, Butt (13) playing one shot too many off the spin of Haier, and then Bush (10) was LBW to Asher.

The score now sat at 72-8, another 20 required for victory, but as Bush walked from the ground the heavens opened and no more play was possible. Quarndon looked to be in the driving seat but both teams will have mixed emotions over the result and more importantly their standard of play throughout the day.

Cutthorpe walked away with 11 points, one more than their opponents. It’s a result that leaves Cutthorpe seventh in the Premier League.