Cricket: Colwyn Bay have a disastrous start to campaign

May 13 2010

COLWYN Bay were bowled out for just 55 as their Liverpool Competition Premier Division campaign began disastrously at Hightown.

The hosts looked decidedly vulnerable after dipping from 66-1 to 97 all out, Ryan Holtby 3-17, Gareth Cross 4-20 (including a hat-trick to end the innings) but Bay were even more profligate with their wickets.

Coasting at 25-1 they suddenly found themselves reduced to 30-8 and only a last wicket stand of 25 between Dafydd Rhys and Paul Jenkins averted an even greater humiliation.

Colwyn Bay seconds started their league season with a 49-run defeat to relegated Fleetwood Hesketh.

Inserted after losing the toss, Fleetwood reached 174 all out, Nick Woodward 5-36 and James Jones 3-43 impressing for the Bay.

In reply the Colwyn top order was blown away by young left arm seamer Mike Gregory who took 5-0 in two overs, leaving the Welsh side at 17-5 at one stage.

A recovery followed with Dave Wallace (73) and James Jones (37) putting on almost 100 but Gregory returned to mop up the tail and finished with impressive figures of 8-22.

Colwyn Bay’s young 3rd XI continued their good start with a second win, this time by five wickets away to Orrell Red Triangle.

Electing to bat first, the home team struggled against the tight bowling of Srivatsa Samabamurthy (1-17) and Sam Roberts (2-17) before a middle-order recovery took them to 103-5 when the spin of Arthur Jones (1-29) and especially Joe Williams-Grey (5-16) polished off the tail for a total of 139.

Jones put the reply on course with 25 before being stumped, then a stand of 52 between Sambamurthy (15) and Heinrich Venzke (41) set up the win which was sealed in style by Shreyas Srivatsa with a confident 28no and Williams-Grey (14 no).

The 25 points takes Bay to third in the Sunday Premier League.