With last week's game a wash out and Drig in fourth place, only one point behind Crompark, this fixture could prove to be a pivotal match in the 2008 season.

Winning the toss, Crompark invited the visitors to take first use of a wicket which left a lot to be desired. Due to the covers being vandalised one end had been soaked and batting would prove to be difficult.

Barry Foster did not take long to claim his first wicket, coming from his fourth ball as Tyson Illingworth was deceived by the two-paced wicket and played a straight drive to a ball that arrived two weeks after the shot was played. Unluckily for him the ball did connect with his stumps, seeing him back in the hutch for a golden duck.

Runs started to come for Dave Nelson and Bobby Brewster, the former hitting two fours and a six in quick succession before falling to a catch for 16.

Adam Whitely soon became Foster's third scalp, out for six to the safe hands of Jennings, then Tony Redmond fell first ball to a Jones catch, handing Eccleshall his first wicket. The procession continued with John Barker trapped in front by Foster.

Enter Allan Mitchell. Fresh from his cameo appearance for Yorkshire Water in their evening cup tie, scoring 25 runs from just nine balls, Drig were hoping he could recapture this form when it mattered as the scoreboard read a dismal 49-5. A partnership of 19 saw the score move to 68 before Bobby finally fell to Foster to be out for a dogged 36, leaving Mitchell to wag with the tail.

At this point the Drig skipper was starting to resign himself to the fact that the best they could hope for was to post 100 and try to defend their total. But Mitchell had other ideas, deciding to take the game to Crompark and he set about the bowling attack in a tremendous display of well timed shots and powerful hitting that saw the ball race to the boundary on numerous occasions. The highlight was dispatching Foster out of the ground to the long, cow corner boundary.

Bennett came and went without much fuss, scoring three on his debut, but Graham "Tree-beard" Thurstan gave Mitchell support in a 67-run stand that moved the score on to 142 before Mitchell, playing a rather improvised reverse hook off Foster, was caught out for 59. Captain King joined Thurstan and they saw out the rest of the innings to take the score up to a more than respectable 173-8 with Thurstan 30 not out and King 8 not out.

Drig took to the field in high spirits. Even when the umpire walked off for rain, the Drig boys braved the brief shower and stayed on the field. With Woods away with a back injury the task of opening the bowling fell to Tyson Illingworth and Thurstan. With players crowding the bat and the uneven bounce, Drig knew it would not take long to make inroads and Pouch was first to go, a ball at his ribs from Thurstan, only fended off as far as Mitchell at silly mid-off. Asgar soon followed in a carbon copy and Cooper went for a duck next ball, caught by Illingworth.