On a field so wet & muddy that cricketers looked more like rugby players, Washington battled out a draw against Finchley outfit Sundowners on Sunday. At the close, the Sundowners' eighth wicket pair were hanging on grimly and Wash couldn't find the way through. A winning draw for the Wash? Skipper Dave Walker was more cautious: 'I think we ended up on top, and one more wicket might have been decisive', he said,' but they were only need 30 runs - let’s say it was nicely balanced’.
A hard-fought match began with Washington's top order batsmen failing. At 32-5, the home side seemed in trouble, but a captain's innings from Walker, who batted nearly two hours for 23, provided the backbone for a recovery. Justin Gurney smacked a six and three fours in his 23 and last wicket pair Richard Minion (41) and Nick Tidey (1 not out) eked out an invaluable extra 20 runs.
With 118 in the bank, Wash seemed in control, and when Minion (2-15) reduced the Sundowners to 14-3, an early sunset seemed likely. However, Tony Medlock (25) started a revival, and though James Wood (2-14), Gurney (1-12), and Gary Evans (1-7) bowled well, Washington couldn't knock over the Sundowners' tail, marshalled by skipper Michael McGowan (28 not out).
Washington: Walker, Gluckman, Cragoe, Evans, Gurney, N. Tidey, T. Tidey, McNellan, Minion, Wood, Moffatt.
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