Outcasts continued their unbeaten run in the Lincs League Division One after beating Hartsholme seconds by seven wickets, writes Glen Sands.
Almost as soon as they arrived in Lincoln it began to rain and that meant that the game was 70 minutes late getting underway and was reduced to 35 overs per side.
Once underway, Outcasts won the toss and invited Hartsholme to bat first as the Crowle bowling pair of Graeme Fletcher and Liam McAnaney quickly got to work.
Fletcher produced an absolute jaffa to bowl Paul Bassingthwaite for nought - nipping one back through his defences.
McAnaney then had Tom Manghan caught by Josh Bramhill in the next over.
With only six on the board, Bramhill again snaffled a catch to send Mark Leverett back to the pavilion, earning Fletcher another wicket.
Nick Green and Lucas Cooling offered some resistance as the sun began to shine but opener Green was then superbly caught at gully by Peter Tait to earn McAnaney a second victim.
Cooling had made eight when he edged a catch to wicket keeper Mark Fletcher, off McAnaney, leaving Hartsholme on 48 for 5.
Tom Parker and Andy Putt produced a fight back of sorts until Tom Sharpe was brought in to bowl - his extra pace brought the breakthrough when he bowled Putt for 23.
Josh Pickersgill and Ben Winfield found Sharpe just a bit ‘too sharp’ and went quickly.
Parker was later caught by Tait, again off Sharpe’s bowling, for a hard earned 19.
Outcasts had eight overs in which to grab the 10th wicket and for a while they looked likely to miss out but the opening pair were brought back on and Fletcher did the trick when he had Ben Hart caught by Sharpe for six, leaving the home side all out for 109.
Sharpe finished with 4 for 19, Fletcher 3 for 23 and McAnaney 3 for 41.
Outcasts’ reply began in bright sunshine as Andrew Lawson and John Stokoe set about the business of chasing down the target.
However, Stokoe was soon back in the pavilion having been caught at gully Tom Manghan off Mark Leverett for five.
The in-form Russell Fletcher joined Lawson at the crease and at that moment the dark clouds began to gather in the sky, prompting Lawson in particular to press the accelerator.
He clicked through the gears with ease, cracking the ball to all parts with an array of powerful shots.
He brought up his half century with his ninth four (plus one six) in only 34 deliveries but then lost concentration when the umpires took a while to decide wether to leave the field with rain threatening - the big man being stumped by Paul Bassingthwaite off Dave Smith for 53.
Russell Fletcher had accumulated 11 runs and was joined by Tait.
The left hander was then caught at cover by Pickersgill, off Smith, but last week’s centurion Bramhill strode to the middle to help Tait see their team home - hitting one boundary while Tait finished on 27no to clinch 20 valuable points for Outcasts in their promotion chase.
This victory helped the Priorymen close the gap at the top to just five points behind Scothern whose scheduled game was postponed.
Crowle have some tough games coming up, beginning with a home fixture against Bracebridge Heath 2nds who are third behind Outcasts but with games in hand.
* Outcasts 2nds were due to take on table-toppers Cleethorpes 3rds at Hirst Priory but the game never got underway as the rain fell. The side are back in action on July 26 when they head to Normanby Park.