Bank House CCL Div One

Cam 205-6; Cirencester 201-7

CIRENCESTER remain top in Division One of the county league but defeat at Cam was their second in three games and they need to quickly rediscover their form to maintain a title push.

With heavy rain on Friday making the wicket very soft, the toss was inevitably more important than normal and on winning it Cam lost no time in asking Cirencester to bat first.

The early overs proved the point, the new ball stuck in the damp surface and batting proved difficult.

Within the first 15 overs Cirencester were reduced to 42-3. However, Will Mason who is normally a free-scoring batsman showed a different, more circumspect side to his game and in the difficult circumstances was prepared to tough it out.

This approach proved pivotal as with the ball getting older batting started to get a bit easier.

Mason was joined by Jono Jamieson-Black and for the fourth wicket they added 64 runs – the momentum was starting to build.

When Mason was eventually out for a well-crafted 56, Jamieson-Black took control of the innings and showed his class.

He used his feet expertly to the Cam slow bowlers, never letting them settle, and punished anything wayward. Then, as the innings drew to a close, he accelerated the run rate with the help of the hard- hitting lower order and managed to take the score to 201, an excellent return given such difficult conditions.

The Cam reply started in much the same way as had been the case earlier in the day. The new ball dug into the surface and proved difficult to play and their innings faltered at 32-3 from the first 14 overs. At this point Jake Dolbear had come to the crease and he began to open his shoulders and hit the boundary more regularly.

Cirencester were never able to completely stem the flow of runs. However, with the home team still needing to score at just over six an over the game was in the balance. Dolbear was eventually well caught by Jamie Jamieson-Black running in from the cover boundary for a well constructed 70, and by this time he had reduced the run rate to below six.

With wickets in hand Cam were now in control and Cirencester were never able to fully apply the brakes on the run rate. Going in to the final over the scores were all square and a nick between the keeper and slip saw Cam home to a well-deserved victory.

In Division Four, Cirencester seconds beat the Minchinhampton 1st XI at The Park by 47 runs with Rob Lamble top-scoring for the home side with 55.