SOMETIMES you just don’t get what you deserve in sport, all the effort you put in gets little or no reward and you can be left wondering if it was all worthwhile.

Darwen really must have been wondering just that on Saturday as all their efforts in mopping up Birch Hall to get their game with Kendal on were rewarded by their side being shot out for just 49 on one of those days that belongs firmly in the ‘better forget that’ category.

Of course, the day’s feelings were polar opposite for the locals whose fine form continued with the most decisive of victories – but you had to feel some sympathy for the home side, who wanted to get the game on to showcase the talents of young Alex Davies, who heads off to play for England U19s in the World Cup in Australia next month.

Players and volunteers had performed miracles to get the ground fit and they seemed to have been rewarded as warm sunshine greeted the teams.

But that silver lining really did have a cloud as Niall Burke fell for a duck in the first over before the Davies and Shaun De Kock took the score on to 27 with few problems.

But suddenly the day was to take a turn for the spectacularly bad for the home side as Kendal’s bowlers found life in the greenest of green wickets.

Davies is a fine talent but even his ability couldn’t prevent his looping catch to mid-on off a Jack White delivery that didn’t so much stop on him as go in reverse.

White’s next impact was to bowl John Cordingley with one the Birch Hall skipper seemed to lose and the seamer then sent Neil Cordingley back first ball.

Gareth Cordingley narrowly survived what would have been an all-brother hat-trick for the impressive White but the damage was done as Darwen’s innings was in the downward spiral.

White went on to claim 5-27 and Cumberland spinner Chris Miller 4-4 as a mad 20 minutes saw the Towers lose their last six wickets for six runs in 29 balls.

Paul Dodds set his stall out by taking nine from the first over of the Kendal reply and any hopes of a Darwen dramatic win were to further disappear, especially as the dismissal of Graham Baker brought New Zealand Test man Jamie How to the middle.

Dodds was then bowled for 24 but How and the evergreen Terry Hunte eased the Cumbrians over the line in the 12th over with the clock not even reaching 4pm by the time the West Indian won the match with a crashing drive through backward point.

Darwen wondered what might have been, upwardly thinking Kendal simply didn't care.