CUMBRIA County Cricket Club suffered first home loss in seven years in one-day trophy as they went down by seven wickets against Northumberland.

The fixture was scheduled to be held at Kendal CC. However, when covers were removed it was discovered that the wicket was unplayable.

Frantic ringing round of alternative clubs eventually led to a kind offer by Furness CC to host.

 While Furness grounds people got the wicket and sight screens ready, Cumbria supporters discussed prospective sixes.

Usually a few soar over the roadside wall to threaten cars.

However, for this match the very much shorter square boundary was on the housing side: with windows, skylights and a conservatory.

Northumberland won the toss and elected to field. The match started at 12.30, reduced slightly to 47 overs per side.

Under a cloudy sky, with a stiffish cool breeze diagonally across the pitch Northumberland set to work with the ball.

For the second week running Kendal CC and County openers Freddie Fallows and Sam Dutton found themselves on a sticky wicket against a laterally moving ball. Nevertheless, they started well with two singles form the first over and two crisp fours in the second.

Then the visitors made a flukish breakthrough thanks to a reflex, waist-high, one-handed return catch by Sebastion Allison off a firm Fallows straight hit, with the first ball of the third over.

This brought Will Fraine (York CC, ex-Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire) to join Dutton. Fraine settled to the task, looking both composed and organised.

Unfortunately, Dutton was caught at mid-wicket in the fifth over to end a promising partnership. 19/2 off 4.3 was far from ideal.

Five balls later Fraine scored the first six of the match into one of the ‘Furness Square Gardens’.

He and Ben Walkden (Newton-le-Willows CC) had settled into a 19-run partnership when, unfortunately, Fraine (20 from 22, 2 X 4s, 1 X 6) was given out lbw to Callum Fletcher.

This decision brought a mini collapse. Within the next three balls Ben Barrow (Netherfield CC) was bowled by Fletcher and Walkden was caught mid-wicket off Matthew Scott’s first ball.

With the score at 37/5 off 10.1 Cumbria supporters were dreading the possibility of a new record low score, following the 59 against Cambridge a fortnight previously. Captain Matthew Sempill (Cockermouth CC) and keeper Finlay Richardson (Kendal CC) put on a partnership of 18 before Sempill was trapped lbw by Fletcher.

By the time that Richardson was caught mid-wicket off Jacques Du Toit, and Greg Cameron (Keswick CC) was out to Fletcher’s 3rd lbw Cumbria were just out of new record territory on 60 for 8 off 19.3 overs.

Spectators could only guess what ‘déjà vu’ thoughts were going through the minds of Ed Moulton (Chorley CC) and Nico Watt (Carlisle CC).

Fortunately, the wicket had begun to flatten and dry out. The heroic bowling all-rounders managed to put on a tremendous partnership of 73 runs.

Just four short of the record ninth wicket partnership for Cumbria (77 set in 2007).

Sadly, Watt was stumped off spinner Harry Crawshaw when he had amassed a collective face-saving 43 off 69 balls (3 X 4s).

Moulton (21 off 69, 1 X 4) and Sam Sharp (Kendal CC) were able to add just another five runs to bring the Sausages’ score to 138 all out from 43.2 overs.

Sharp made an early breakthrough in the second innings, dismissing Alasdair Appleby lbw with his fourth ball and struck again in the 10th over when a nick off John Oswell’s (21 off 49, 2 X 6s) bat was caught behind.

In the 20th over, with the score on 72, Harry Crawshaw was dropped at deep square leg.

Highest scorer of the day, Ross Whitfield (55 off 86), was the last wicket taken lbw to Watt last ball 26th over.

Several minutes later the match was abandoned owing to set-in drizzle. At 116/3 off 27.4 overs the visitors were 47 runs ahead of the Duckworth Lewis Stern target score for an incomplete game.

Cumbria’s next match in the NCCA’s One Day Trophy is on Sunday away to Lincolnshire at Bourne CC.

Despite the two losses, Cumbria could still go through to the knock-out stages of the Trophy competition.

They would need to beat Lincolnshire by a good margin to elevate their Net Run Rate.