CL INDOOR CRICKET: WEEK 5 ROUNDUP

The penultimate week of round robin competition saw the IPPA Falcons in with a chance of cementing a Final place while the other three teams were still in the mix.

The Indigo Spartans were first up against Adamstown, who won the toss and decided to bat first.

They reached 47 off their 12 overs, with a good display of measured batting and controlled running. The first partnership put on 4 runs, having looked strong until losing two wickets in the third over. The next partnership put on another 4 in their three overs. The third and fourth partnerships were very productive in particular the last pair who didn't lose a wicket and hit three boundaries.

In reply the Spartans started aggresively with 20 off their first partnership. They matched that in the next partnership and with the third batting pair getting them to 51 they knew that keeping it tight in the last pair would see them home. And so it proved to be, they batted those three overs without losing a wicket, finishing on a total of 57 for a 10 run win.

The other match saw the Chancers play the IPPA Falcons, with a win for the Falcons putting them in the Final.

The Chancers chose to bat first and put on a good quality 57 in their 12 overs. This featured solid partnerships all the way through with boundaries at every stage. However the Falcons have had explosive batting power all tournament, would this be enough?

In the second innnings the first set of overs was going well for the Chancers with the ball, no wickets but few runs. But then in the third over a pair of sixes set the Falcons going and they never looked back. The second partnership saw 6 sixes and a 4, with no wickets falling. The Falcons were 62 and cruising.

A couple of wickets in the third partnership gave the Chancers a glimmer of hope and with 63 on the board going into the last pair the game could have gone either way.

Crucially the Falcons however managed to avoid losing any wickets and finished comfortable 13 run winners with a total of 70.

The last round of fixtures sees Adamstown play the IPPA Falcons. The Falcons are assured of a place in the Final regardless of the result in that match.

The other match will decide the other finalists. A win for the Spartans will leave them clear, but should the Chancers beat the Spartans they will be level on points, but the Chancers will qualify for the final as they won both the Head to Head matches. So it's a winner takes all for the Final place.

The Final will take place in North County Cricket Club on March 2nd at 1.30 p.m.