BURNHAM managed to beat the weather to stage a game on Sunday after groundstaff worked tirelessly to make the ground fit for play.

Police skipper Roy Tinkler won the toss and invited Burnham to bat on a damp pitch. Brad House and Andy Ashfold opened for Burnham and Ashfold started brightly, finding the boundary in the first over despite the very slow outfield.

In the difficult conditions, the WMP attack got on top as Burnham crept to 29 in the ninth over at which point House was bowled by Dave Quigley for five. Progress became even more turgid as Burnham moved to 38-3 in the 15th over losing Pete Gaylard and Biff Smith in the process but Ashfold couldn’t be removed despite five maidens in a row and when Stearnes was dismissed, the score was 49-4 in the 21st over.

Now, Robbie Driver came to the wicket and increased the tempo significantly in a typically controlled but powerful knock to inject some life into the Burnham innings.

The stand between Ashfold and Driver put on 64 taking Burnham to 113 but both were dismissed by Dean Tune at this point, Ashfold for 52 and Driver for 42. Graeme Batt and Pete Harris played useful cameos to lift Burnham to 128-7 after 40 overs.

Burnham’s opening attack after tea was spearheaded by young James Annison and the more experienced Caine Harding who both sent down miserly spells in the bowler-friendly conditions.

The WMP batters made scant progress against this as they limped to 28-3 in the 12th over but now the middle order batsmen Tune and Tinkler pushed things along a little quicker, Tinkler driving handsomely and Tune with some powerful cuts and pulls.

Stearnes pulled off a fine catch at cover to dismiss Tune for 17 off Harding and then Harris bowled Tinkler for 13.

From this point the innings fizzled out against more tight bowling from Smith and a second spell from Annison, Harris nagged away claiming two more victims as the WMP innings ended on 69 in the 31st over.