Second placed Cogenhoe travelled to North Northamptonshire to face third placed Weldon. Under leaden skies the home skipper won the toss and elected to bowl in muggy conditions. Straight away the Cooks were under pressure having lost three quick wickets, two of which claimed by Kevin Baynham who was getting appreciably movement off the green pitch. With only 18 runs on the board the Cooks needed meaningful contributions from the middle order, when Jack Quennell joined Matt Morrissey the foundations of a recovery began. Though the bowlers still held the upper hand, Morrissey began to punish any loose ball and the pair were beginning to look more comfortable. With the half century partnership beckoning, Quennell departed for a watchful fifteen. The pattern of attack from Morrissey and defence, now from new batsman Frank Perkin continued, until the becalmed Perkin got off the mark with a spectacular leg side six. This aggressive shot marked a period where the batsman started to get on top, with the pair eventually adding 86 runs in 16 overs to ensure a challenging target would now be set. Tiredness eventually led to Morrissey’s downfall when he missed a full toss to be cleaned bowled for a well-deserved career best of eighty. Perkin was then run out for a capable 37, leaving Matt Irons and Tom Smyth to club the Cooks to within one run of maximum batting bonus points.
After the useful scrumptious Weldon teatime treats the hosts attacked the Cogenhoe bowling with gusto, attack minded Sam Wright showed he was determined to force the ball to the boundary at every opportunity. So much so, with opening partner Brandon Nimmo providing able support the pair were scoring at over five runs an over, until Tom Robinson achieved the vital breakthrough, bowling Wright for an entertaining 34 runs. More wickets followed and though the run chase always looked possible with Baynham at the wicket, Cogenhoe’s Irons had other ideas and his accurate thoughtful bowling was now regularly claiming Weldon scalps ensuring that the tail was now exposed. When Baynham was bowled by the returning Smyth the game had swung in the Cooks favour. Although a spirited undefeated 20 from Callum Fyvie delayed the inevitable, Irons gained his sixth wicket when dismissing Weldon’s number 11, to register a deserved Cogenhoe win.
This was a well contested game which ebbed and flowed to provide entertaining cricket for the Weldon spectators. The resilience of the Cogenhoe middle order and perseverance of the Cooks bowlers ensured that a vital victory against promotion rivals Weldon was achieved, in heat sapping conditions.