Rain decimated the penultimate week of the Kent League Premier Division with no result possible in any of the matches.

Play only took place in one encounter when fourth placed Blackheath hosted Minster in ninth out of ten. In a match reduced to twenty five overs, the hosts were invited to bat first and scored 152 for 9. George Wells struck 39 from 20 deliveries while Matt Golding scored a more sedate 34. Eesa Faheem then crashed 30 off 23 balls. James Thompson was the stand out bowler with 2 for 15 from five overs. James Spear and Bill Prideaux also took two wickets each.

In their response, the team from Sheppey were up with the run rate at 74 for 4 off 13 overs when another downpour ended play. Arafat Bhuiyan was the most successful bowler with 2 for 28.

Victory for the hosts would have moved them into second place, within striking distance of the leaders should they slip up on the final week. Mathematically, their hopes are still alive but their chances are extremely slim. Had the visitors won, they would have moved out of the bottom two. In order to escape relegation, they will now have to beat second placed Hayes and hope that Whitstable don’t lose at Bexley, or should they both lose, they will need to overturn a five point difference.

League leaders St Lawrence & Highfield Court visited bottom of the table Lordswood. A win for the away team would have meant that two bonus points would have been sufficient to win the title whilst relegating the Lords.

Also falling victim to the weather were second placed Hayes versus sixth placed Bromley, third placed Tunbridge Wells at Whitstable in eighth and a match that would have had no bearing on the title or relegation, Sevenoaks Vine against Bexley.

Image courtesy of Keith Gillard