Old Albanian 148 all out drew with Bishop s Stortford II 48-6 – match abandoned due to rain Old Albanian were denied almost certain victory against Bishop s Stortford II at the weekend due to the weather. Bishop s Stortford II were in all sorts of troubl

Old Albanian 148 all out drew with Bishop's Stortford II 48-6 - match abandoned due to rain

Old Albanian were denied almost certain victory against Bishop's Stortford II at the weekend due to the weather.

Bishop's Stortford II were in all sorts of trouble at 48-6 after only 21.4 overs chasing OA's first innings total of 148.

After being inserted, a somewhat depleted OA found batting difficult as all the Bishop's Stortford bowlers found some help in a wicket which had been affected by midweek rain and the outfield was running slowly.

Matt Corran (35) held the early innings together, mixing good defence with occasional powerful leg side blows, but then mistimed a clip to square leg and was caught to leave the score at 63-3 after 18 overs.

Vijh and Smithers took the score to 101 before Smithers was bowled for 23 seeking to accelerate the scoring, and thereafter Vijh's well-made top score 39 took OA into the batting points.

However, a tail-end collapse, precipitated by Jayawardena's self-inflicted run-out for 14 to make the score 141-7, saw OA lose their last four wickets for only seven runs in four overs, mainly to left-arm spinner Ryder, who finished with 4-14, and a total of 148 looked on the low side.

Bishop's Stortford began their reply in gloomy conditions and found OA's opening attack of Hall and Roy irresistible.

Roy yorked three of the Stortford top four in a spell of 3-9 in six overs, and Hall chipped in with two wickets of his own to leave the visitors in tatters at 22-5 in the 11th over.

Leaver and Dodshon managed to stem the tide and added 26 in 10 overs before Dodshon fell lbw to stand-in skipper Jones. Corran, resuming bowling after his ankle injury, had Leaver dropped at slip by Roy as the rains that had been forecast all day finally arrived, and one ball later the players left the field, never to return.