Nervous finish to season for Dunmow

Dunmow CC have six games to save their season as their mid season slump continued on Saturday.

Near rivals Exning claimed victory at the weekend to leave Dunmow increasingly looking over their shoulders at the bottom of the table with six games to go.

Having been asked to bat first, Dunmow made an excellent start, Luke Swanston and Nick Coupe adding 50 for the first wicket.

As has been an issue for a number of weeks though, wickets fell at crucial times and in clusters so as to leave Dunmow 104-3, then 134-6 and making a score of 200 plus unlikely, despite the efforts of Swanston who eventually fell for 55.

Robust hitting from Andy Brown (35) towards the back end of the innings added some impetus although when the innings closed with Dunmow 184 all out, there was a feeling of a slightly below par performance. SD Lawson finished with 6-33 from 13 overs.

Exning got off to a stilted start as Matt Gibson claimed Lawson for two and Steve Hamlin removed Allen for 13 to leave the hosts at 51-2.

In many ways the reply mirrored Dunmow’s, with wickets falling regularly and in clutches, Exning being 70-3 and 106-6, Hamlin taking 4-49 from 15 overs.

O Lawson and B Readman built and effective partnership with calculated hitting from the slower bowling of Sewell and together they moved the score to 149 before the returning Gibson claimed the dangerous Lawson for 32.

This appeared to be the breakthrough for Dunmow, but the rate of only four an over proved to be within the capabilities of Griggs and SJ Lawson as they got Exning over the line with two overs to go and leave Dunmow nervous going into the last six games.

Dunmow host Division Two leaders Frinton 2nds at home on Saturday.