Sat 29th Aug v Malden Wanderers

MALDEN WANDERERS 141-9 (26) vs. DULWICH 14-1 (4) – Match abandoned

Dulwich travelled to Malden Wanderers for their crucial promotion battle in Division 1 of the M.Zaidi & Co. Surrey Cricket Championship, but the only winner was the weather.

After a series of intermittent showers play finally got underway at 3.12 pm, with the match reduced to 26 overs per side. Dulwich won the toss and elected to field, only to see Zac Elkin and Jack Victory put on 55 for the first wicket. Harrison Perry made the breakthrough, bowling Victory with the last ball of the eighth over for 16. For the rest of the innings Elkin occupied one end while the Dulwich bowlers worked their way through the rest of the Malden batting at the other. The innings closed on 141 for 9, of which Elkin made 80 not out off 72 balls. Lucas Parry took four wickets, Perry and Joe Payne two each, and Dan Empson one.

The Dulwich reply started badly when Jacob Rhodes was caught at slip (inevitably by Elkin) off the third legitimate ball. Tommy Wright and Will O’Donnell had taken the score to 14 off four overs when the rain returned and brought a premature end to proceedings.

Both sides take eight points from the match, but the situation is complicated by the success of Old Rutlishians, who were able to complete victory over Walton on Thames between the showers. They therefore gain 20 points and leapfrog Dulwich into third place, level on points with Malden. Dulwich are now fourth. They can still gain promotion if they win their final match against Weybridge, but only if Malden Wanderers and Old Rutlishians both lose theirs.