Cricket

Weather frustrates Marian men

Dolgellau (153 for 3)
v Abergele. Match Abandoned

IT proved a disappointing Bank Holiday weekend for Dolgellau in division two of the North Wales League.
At home to Abergele on Saturday heavy rain during and after the tea interval caused the match to be abandoned without Abergele batting, after Dolgellau had scored a good 153 for 3 in a game reduced to 38 overs a side, due to earlier rain.
This was the third time this season that Dolgellau have had the game abandoned at home, and in all three fixtures they were in a good position to force a win, which would have probably propelled them to a top two position in the league table.
Abergele won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first on a damp strip, hoping that their bowlers would get some early help in the cloudy, wet conditions.
However, the Dolgellau openers, Jonathan Mills and Phil Leeds, produced their third successive partnership of over 50, their seventh of the season, in putting together 60 runs in 24 overs.
At that total, when Mills had made 26 with 2 fours he top-edged a catch to skipper Ed Rooney from the bowling of David Moulson, the visitors third change bowler.
Dion Jones joined Leeds at the crease and they had an alliance of 38 for the second wicket in just 6 overs as Jones hit 2 boundaries in his 24, before bowled to give Moulson his second wicket.
Another 42 were added by Leeds and Greg Smithies, Leeds reaching his eighth division two half century of the summer. With three overs left, Leeds was caught by Karl Higgins off Amer Jamil for a good total of 52, which included 4 boundaries, to make it 140 for 3.
In the meantime, Smithies was feasting on the bowling of Moulson, his last 3 overs going for 38 runs as he finished with 2 for 63 from his 9 overs. Smithies struck Moulson for 2 straight sixes and a four in an unbeaten 33 to boost his side’s total.
His captain, Robert Humphreys, 5 not out, kept Smithies company at the end as Dolgellau closed on 153 for 3. However, that proved to be the end of the action for the day as the forementioned wet weather halted proceedings, with both sides having to be content with just three points.
Abergele used five bowlers with Moulson and Jamil, 1 for 39 from 12 overs, having success. Higgins bowled 7 overs for 16, Richard Marsh-Evans 5 for 11 and Wasim Ali 5 overs for 14.