Rugby have been left to lament the elements after Saturday afternoon’s lightning storm cost the ladder leaders a probable win over their nearest rivals Souths.
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The Hornets made 141 in their innings, with Rugby 0/29 off 7.3 overs when players left the field.
In a match where the momentum ebbed and flowed, it was a spell of bowling from Ben Patterson that turned the contest on its head.
Patterson took four wickets in eight balls, including a hat-trick, to send Souths from a comfortable position at 4-138 to 8-139.
The carnage started when he bowled Adam Wells (7) with the second ball of the 34th over and continued when he removed Henry Railz (26), Angus Norton (0) and Scott Tucker (0) with the first three balls of his next over.
Souths would ultimately be bowled out for 141, and with the storm clouds rolling in Rugby rolled the dice and sent Patterson in to open with Jacob Hill in the hope of belting some quick runs.
They were well and truly on target before the lightning arrived, with play ultimately abandoned before the 15-over mark had been reached, resulting in the match being declared a draw.
“Anything can happen in a game of cricket but we were in a pretty good position,” Rugby’s Jordan Moran said.
“It was unfortunate from that aspect but all the games were abandoned so nobody actually made ground up on us either.”
As well as praising Patterson for his spell, Moran also mentioned the work done by spinner Aidan Bennewith, who took three wickets including the scalps of rep stars Mitch Bower (33) and Will Lindsay (31) in quick succession.
“Patto came in and did what he does and that was bowl full and fast, and he got the rewards there with the wickets and the hat-trick, but that was set-up by Aidan,” Moran said.
“They were in a good spot at 1/60 at first drinks and he came on and got the wickets in the second session.”
While they missed the chance to extend their lead, Rugby remain seven points clear with three rounds remaining.
Moran said the obvious carrot dangling for his side to play well over the remaining six weeks of the regular season was the chance to finish as minor premiers and advance straight through to the grand final.
“We haven’t spoken about that yet as a collective group, but when you’re on top with three games to go it starts to become obvious that you can earn that spot,” he said.
“It’s a really even competition and we have a tough run home but we know we don’t have to chase anything at this point.
“We’re a confident side and we’re playing some really good cricket at the moment.”
