Maple run through Spartan

CGI Maple made up for lost time by picking up nine SuperCentre Spartan wickets for 105 runs at the close of a shortened day’s play yesterday. Due to wet and soggy conditions play started 100 minutes late and ended 15 minutes earlyin fading light.Maple, led first by seamer Kirk Brome and later, off-spinner Shane Ramsay, ensured that the north-western team had an excellent day in the time allowed after winning the toss in conditions ideal for bowling.Brome ripped out the first three Spartan batsmen by the time the score reached 29 in his first spell. André Small and captain Reydon Toppin were bowled, while leading run-getter for the season Wayne Blackman was caught by the keeper off the outside edge. At the close, Brome had excellent figures of three for 21 from 11 overs of controlled seam bowling.In came off-spinner Shane Ramsay to take care of the Spartan middle order. He first broke a threatening stand of 19 between Marrodon Bend (10) and Rohan Nurse (18) for the fourth and fifth wickets by bowling each batsmen within ten runs of each other. Chioke Payne was stumped and André Gill was also bowled as Ramsay snared 4 for 33 from 13 incisive overs.Maple’s main resistance came from Nicholas Carter who counter-attacked to top score with 26 from five boundaries.