DOLGELLAU  88 lost to NORTHOP 2nds  171 by 83 runs

Readers North Wales League Division 1

NORTHOP 2nds consolidated their position at the top of the Division 1 table with a comfortable 83 run victory at Dolgellau on Saturday.

Invited to bat first, on a damp and murky afternoon, Northop were all out for 171 in the 43rd over, this after the hosts allowed them to recover from 117 for 8, the last two wickets adding 54 to the total.

The Dolgellau team, with five enforced changes to the side that won the previous week, collapsed dramatically from 86 for 5 to 88 all out, four wickets falling on 88, the weakened batting line up not able to cope with the Northop bowlers.

Dolgellau did well to restrict their visitors to 117 for 8, but they could not administer the coup de grâce, number 6 batter Darren Williams hitting 54 in the company of skipper Joe Griffiths and Sion Ferguson.

In the 9th over Northop stood at 29 for 3, bowlers Morgan Yorke and the captain Jack Williams keeping the runs down.

James Roberts gave a catch to the keeper Dave Jenkins off Yorke, Dave Foulkes was run out by Lafras Van Vuuren and Scott Oates lbw to Yorke.

Opener Chris Brooks and Leo Greig put on 40 for the 4th wicket to move it on to 69 for 4 in the 20th over, Brooks caught and bowled from Jack Williamson's first delivery, for 28.

Greig and Darren Williams notched up another 25, Greig the dominant batter, making 30 before he was caught by Richard Rees giving Williamson a second wicket.

Williams lost three more partners as it proceeded to 117 for 8.

Finn Jenkins, caught behind by Dave Jenkins off Williamson, Tom Sudder gave Jenkins a third catch, off Jaco Oosthuizen and Mark Poynton caught by Morgan Yorke, a 4th wicket for Williamson.

Number 10 Joe Griffiths made 9 in a stand of 32 with Darren who was on 32 when the former was held by Jack Williams, the bowler Llio Parry.

Darren added another 22 with number 11 Sion Ferguson, reaching his 50 from 65 deliveries with 2 sixes and 3 fours.

Darren was eventually bowled by Oosthuizen for 54, Northop's last wicket to fall, the innings finishing on 171 with 2.2 overs remaining. 

Jack Williamson impressed with the ball, taking 4 for 26 from his 9 overs.

Yorke had 6 overs, 2 for 17 in an impressive opening spell, Oosthuizen claiming 2 for 32 from 6.4 overs and Parry 1 for 25 from 3 overs.

Lafras and Jack Williams sent down nine overs apiece, 0 for 30 and 0 for 37 respectively.

Dolgellau's innings started much like that of the visitors, 25 for 3, then 65 for 4 after 22 overs.

However that's where the similarities ended, 6 wickets going down for the addition of just 23 runs as the visiting bowlers took charge.

Jenkins was adjudged lbw to Sudder, Williamson caught by the keeper Greig off Ferguson, Morgan Yorke bowled by Sudder and Oosthuizen who scored 18, bowled by Griffiths; 65 for 4.

Lafras, at number three, and Oosthuizen had an alliance of 40 for the 4th wicket.

Jack Williams departed lbw to Poynton before Lafras and Rees put on 21 to advance it to 86, at which Lafras fell to a superb outfield catch by Finn Jenkins on the deep cover point boundary, the bowler Darren Williams. Lafras, once again, top scored this time making 43.

That proved to be the beginning of the end for Dolgellau, only two more runs added to the total as Poynton and Williams decimated the home side's reserve batters putting a domino effect into operation, the hosts being all out for 88 from 35.1 overs.

Poynton bowled 7.1 overs, claiming 4 for 18, while Williams had 2 for 6 from 5 overs.

Sudder bowled well at the start, 2 for 12 from 7, Griffiths had 1 for 24 from 9 and Ferguson 1 for 26 from 7 overs, as Northop won by 83 runs, giving them 14 points to Dolgellau's solitary point.