Weekend play delivered a mixed bag of results for Ely City Cricket Club when both the first and second XIs played their rival sides from Needingworth Cricket Club.

Sadly the first team’s run of bad luck continued at the home ground with yet another loss with the side being bowled out for just 54 runs after electing to bat first.

Run scorers included captain Jonny Wallace who scored three before being bowled out LBW by George Smith.

Richard Vincett scored 5 before being caught out by Joe Morris. Ed Aniskowicz was bowled out for six with Mark Deas also seeing his stumps fall at the hand of Needingworth bowler Joshua Smith for the same number of runs. In fact Smith was responsible for many of City’s woes taking four straight wickets for a cheap 12 runs during the afternoon.

Needingworth’s Daniel Sherlock was responsible for two of City’s players making the walk back to the dressing room.

He caught Owen Buxton out for 9 and saw Robin Rutter run out for a duck. Rutter was not alone in missing out on the scoreboard as team mates Paul Henman, wicket keeper Michael Sellers, and Jamie Hilton all lost their turn at the crease for a zero.

Harvey Cook managed to hang in to the end bagging 11 runs not out.

Batsman Hayden Jeffreys was stumped by Callum Mitchell having notched up just one run.

When it came time for Needingworth to face the ball they managed to notch up 201 runs for 5 wickets off 45 overs. Batting star was Callum Mitchum who hit a respectable 73 not out.

Ely’s Vincett proved more successful with the bowl taking two wickets including that of Ben Carter bowled LBW and Lee Smith caught out, but only after the batsmen had hit 30 and 37 runs respectively. Jamie Hilton took revenge on Needingworth’s killer bowler Joshua Smith by setting him up to be caught out by Ed Aniskowicz for 13 runs.

Meanwhile at Needingworth the second teams saw a reversal of fortunes with Ely City taking the honours in a particularly low scoring match.

The city side scored 87 for 10 which was more than enough to beat Needingworth’s measly 11 for 10.

Leading the way with the scoring was Darey Hom who notched up 58 before being bowled and caught by Needingworth’s Emilee Steel, who proved a thorn in the city’s side playing a role in four of the 10 wickets.

She ended Maha Ramanathan’s time at the crease bowling him LBW for a duck. Michael Thompson proved equally devastating to City’s batting line-up claiming three wickets including that of Louis Cook who he bowled and caught out for just 5.

However, Cook took his revenge when it was Needingworth’s turn to face the ball - taking three wickets for a cheap three runs including Miles Baragwanath LBW for a duck.

But it was James Cullingworth who proved Needingworth’s biggest downfall claiming five wickets also at a cost of just three runs.

Jon Hill saw off the final two Needingworth batsmen for two runs, leaving Needingworth captain Neil Heron not out for zero.

Needingworth’s measly batting total was given a welcome boost with three extra runs (one by and two wide).

This weekend sees City’s first team hoping to break their season’s duck when they take on Buntingford away.