4:00pm Thursday 26th April 2012
HEREFORDSHIRE opened their Minor Counties CA Knockout Trophy campaign with a rain-affected 30-run defeat by Cumberland at Eastnor.
The county side twice got into winning positions against their north country visitors but in the end were beaten by the side who had eliminated them from the compeition at the knock-out stage last year.
Herefordshire made a great start after winning the toss and deciding to bowl, reducing the visitors to 53-5.
Cumberland skipper Gary Pratt, who became a minor celebrity in 2005 as the England substitute fielder who ran out Ricky Ponting in the Trent Bridge Ashes Test, suffered an ironic taste of his own medicine when he was run out by Callum Stewart as one of the early departures.
On a rain-interrupted day, Cumberland rallied, however, and Alex Atkinson (53) and Chris Thompson (40) helped to propel them to a final score of 174-7 after 46 overs.
Herefordshire were set a winning target of 185 from 46 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis method and, despite the early loss of Dave Exall and Steve Adshead, they made good progress.
Ben Stebbings (35) and Chris Boroughs (39) were in good form as the hosts reached 98-2.
However, both were then dismissed without addition to the score and although Brad Wadlan (30), batted well, he received little support from the lower order as Herefordshire were bowled out for 154 in 38.5 overs.
On Sunday, Herefordshire will hope to notch their first win of the campaign when they travel to Cambridgeshire with an unchanged side.
Cambridgeshire beat Herefordshire at Lord’s in the final of the 1995 competition.
SCOREBOARD CUMBERLAND J Lowe ct Stebbings b Stewart 7 J Miles ct Eburah b Powell 15 R Brown ct Adshead b Eburah 5 G Pratt ro Stewart 6 L Livingstone ct Exall b Eburah 0 A Atkinson ct Exall b Stewart 53 C Thompson ct Stebbings b Boroughs 40 C Williams not out 22 M Evans not out 10 T Bulcock did not bat R Gleeson did not bat Extras (3lb 13w) 16 Total (7 wickets, 46 overs) 174 Bowling: Eburah 8-1-38-2, Stewart 9-3-34-2, Baylis 4-0-13-0, Powell 4-0-15-1, Wadlan 10-1-43-0, Griffiths 10-2-22-0, Boroughs 1-0-6-1.
HEREFORDSHIRE B Stebbings ct Williams b Thompson 35 D Exall ct Pratt b Bulcock 8 S Adshead ct Lowe b Thompson 1 C Boroughs lbw b Bulcock 39 B Wadlan ct Thompson b Lowe 30 C Walker lbw b Lowe 6 E Baylis b Lowe 0 N Powell b Lowe 4 C Griffiths not out 8 C Stewart lbw b Lowe 0 F Eburah st Brown b Bulcock 0 Extras (2b 4lb 15w 2nb) 23 Total (all out, 38.5 overs) 154 Bowling: Gleeson 5-0-23-0, Thompson 6-1-14-2, Williams 6-1-27-0, Evans 3-0-27-0, Lowe 9-2-35-5, Bulcock 9.5-1-22-3.
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