TOPCROFT entertained North Runcton on Saturday and took nine points from the rain-hit Norfolk Alliance Premier Division game which was abandoned.Topcroft won the toss and elected to bowl first on an overcast afternoon.

TOPCROFT entertained North Runcton on Saturday and took nine points from the rain-hit Norfolk Alliance Premier Division game which was abandoned.

Topcroft won the toss and elected to bowl first on an overcast afternoon. The North Runcton opening pair of Coote and Jefferson put on 34 before Marshall removed Jefferson with an away swinging delivery caught by Gunawardene at

first slip.

Brown struggled to score early on due to some tight bowling from Marshall and the other Topcroft bowlers. Coote and Brown began to find runs much easier to come by after some aerial shots fell into the gaps in the field. The batsmen put on 111 before Coote was caught by Wright off D Todd for 71.

Brown soon followed lbw off Warburton. Kgamadi and Hemeter added 27 before Kgamadi was caught behind off I Todd. Pipkin was the next to fall, run out thanks to a smart bit of fielding by Todd who then had Crisp caught behind to leave Runcton on 187-6 with eight overs remaining.

Cubitt joined Hemeter and played some aggressive strokes to take the score to 238 before he was bowled by Todd. Bunting was then bowled by Todd and Todd completed his maiden 1st XI five-wicket haul by having Faivelowitz caught and bowled. The Runcton innings ended on 260-9 with Todd finishing with figures of 12-0-50-5.

Heavy rain arrived at the tea interval. When the sun re-emerged the bowlers' run ups were too wet for play to continue, and after waiting an hour and a half to see if the conditions would allow play to continue the game was abandoned.

Topcroft travel to Old Buckenham tomorrow. Cunningham's Auto MoM: Ian Todd.