By Tim Howard
Wet weather has played havoc with the latest round of the Clarence Valley first grade cricket competition, forcing two of the three games to be abandoned.
In the only result of the round, Lawrence vanquished Maclean United in imperious fashion at Barry Watts Oval, Maclean.
Lawrence applied the screws to Maclean from the outset, restricting them to just 88 from 36 overs then strolling to 1-89 in just 16.4 overs.
Only Nathan Murray and veteran Craig Moran, with 19 apiece, made meaningful contributions against the seven bowlers Lawrence skipper Ben Shaw deployed.
Each took at least one wicket, with Shaw proving the best of them snaring 3-9. Opening bowler Nathan Williams was next best with 2-23.
At Ulmarra a typically savage 63 from Matt Dougherty had put Tucabia Copmanhurst in the box seat in its game against Iluka.
Dougherty hammered three sixes and seven fours as Tucabia raced to 8-195 in 40 overs.
Dougherty had good support from Bohdi Henwood, 36, and opening batter Matt Pigg, 31.
Dean Bartlett had the miserly figures of 2-8 from eight overs and his wickets were those of Pigg and Dougherty.
Iluka looked to be making a good fist of the run chase when the weather intervened.
They had reached 0-44 with Ed Burton 24no and Aidan Daniels 15no when the players were forced from the field.
Iluka had got off to a flyer, but the introduction of spin via Pigg slowed the scoring rate.
It was building toward a good contest, until the rain came.
Harwood looked to be in command in their game against GDSC Easts at Ellem Oval, Grafton, when rain stopped play.
Harwood had battled its way to 8-134 with six of its top seven making double figures, but only Josh Lane, 23 and Alex Moffatt, 20, made a score or more.
The Easts bowlers kept the batters under control, with Archie Pope taking 3-6 as wickets tumbled late in the innings.
Left-arm spinner David Duroux took 2-33 and Elijah Waites 2-29.
Easts started the run chase solidly with Shannon Connor typically aggressive scoring 18 with a six and a couple of fours.
Luke Hayman, 14 and Max Forwell, 17, took the total to 46, but no-one had any answers to the leg spin of Jacob McMahon who ran through the middle and lower order to take 5-27.
Harwood appeared on track for victory until rain cut short the day’s play.
The weekend results have Harwood and Lawrence equal on 14 points, but Harwood tops the table on with a superior quotient of 3.245 to Lawrence’s 3.060.
GDSC Easts is in third spot with 12 points and a quotient of 1.007, but there is a decisive gap to the bottom three teams.
Tucabia is on four points and Maclean and Iluka are each on two.
On Saturday the top two teams battle for the outright lead when Harwood hosts Lawrence at Harwood Oval.
The two Grafton teams Easts and Tucabia meet at Ellem Oval and Iluka and Maclean clash at Iluka Sportsground.
