TAILENDERS Daniel Williams and Jay Sneddon have kept Cardiff-Boolaroo in the hunt for the Newcastle District Cricket Association finals and simultaneously dented Charlestown's minor-premiership hopes with a gutsy rearguard action at Pasterfield Sports Complex on Saturday.
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After Charlestown posted an imposing 8(dec)-347 and reduced the home side to 2-8 on day one of the round-11 fixture, a wet pitch delayed the resumption of play until 3pm on Saturday.
That left the competition leaders with 55 overs to claim the remaining eight wickets needed for victory, and all appeared to be going to plan until Sneddon joined Williams at the crease with the scoreboard reading 8-101.
Wiliams finished not out on 11, off 81 balls, and Sneddon was unbeaten on three off 56 balls, and together they steered Cardiff safely to a draw. That kept the CBs within two points of fourth-placed Wallsend, who were also frustrated when play was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Waratah Oval, with the home team 0-8 chasing 328 for victory.
The result at Pasterfield enabled Newcastle City, who defended 254 against Merewether (187) at No.1 Sportsground, to leapfrog Charlestown into top spot.
Stockton also climbed above the Magpies after outgunning Wests (7-288 to 163) at Lynn Oval.
"It's a bit rough to drop from first to third when we didn't do a lot wrong," Charlestown skipper Daniel Arms said. "But credit to Cardiff. They deserved three points. Their last two blokes batted well."
In other results on Saturday, Belmont (5(dec)-200 and 3-67) scored their second outright win after chasing down last-placed Toronto (195 and 67) at Ron Hill Oval.
There was no play on day two at University Oval, where Hamilton-Wickham (117) had already secured first-innings points against Uni (98).
