Alas, to use a meaningless sport phrase, "it is what it is" and "what-ifs" aren't going to change the result or how the Stags must feel after trying to register two wins on the trot in the quest for their hattrick of Ford Trophy crowns this summer.
The words of non-plussed Stags coach Heinrich Malan, before the match on the impact of weather, that "it is after all Auckland and anything can happen" turned out to be prophetic in a pedestrian sort of way.
"We needed to be 253 but we were 249 [for three]," said wicketkeeper Cleaver last night after the umpires abandoned the game at 7pm, a shade over an hour from the time the players trudged off the park due to rain.
It was always going to be a huge ask for the visitors but do-able even though it was the hosts' biggest List A total against them (previously 307-7 at Nelson, 2013-14) and, ditto, against any opposition (385-5 v Wellington, 2014-15).
"At the start we were batting sensibly because we thought you can't worry about Duckworth-Lewis, but then in that last over I hit a six and thought if I hit one or two more we might be ahead of it," said Cleaver who eclipsed his best domestic one-day total of 74 to 77 not out yesterday.
"I hit a six and it went out of the ground and got lost so they decided we should go off. It was a bit of a shame because if we had one more ball we might have got there."
A frustrated Cleaver said with Black Caps squad opener George Worker unbeaten (107 runs, including a dozen fours and a six) on his ninth ton (seventh for CD) they had a chance of overhauling the total with wickets in hand.
It was Worker's 50th List A match and he had racked up 2000 runs when he reached 71 yesterday, according to the New Zealand Cricket website scoreboard but, as it turns out, the 27-year-old from Manawatu already has 3266 runs in the format already.
"The weather is uncontrollable and it sucks but you can't do much about it. George and I were going along nicely," he said, after knocking seven boundaries and four sixes.
"It's awesome for Georgie who has been an awesome white-ball player or, to be fair, in all formats of play for the last couple of years so it's awesome for him to reach that milestone."
No 4 Tom Bruce had carved up 50 from 34 balls before Cleaver came to the crease.
Unused Clarkson might have been the difference, considering his rampant form this summer.
"We were saving him for the end because we thought we'll use him to finish the game off in the last few overs," Cleaver said.
Fellow Black Cap Martin Guptill opened with his 21st ton (112) in the format although one of his shots in 6.1 overs prompted a ball change.
"Martin Guptill was back for them and he batted superbly with the other opener [Glenn Phillips 102 runs] to make it hard for us ... "
"The ball was pretty munted and they had to change it so that didn't help us because it was actually swinging and [the replacement wasn't]." It was pretty hard to defend a total in a small ground with a frisky batting wicket.
Cleaver said rookie seamer Blair Tickner, who took both the opening scalps, was unlucky and so was wicket-less spinner Ajaz Patel.
"Duds bowled very well up front and it was tough as well when they had to bowl at the death so the figures don't look as good as they should," he said of debutant Liam Dudding, who replaced injured veteran Seth Rance.
Kiwi import allrounder Kieran Noema-Barnett claimed the other wicket although CD gifted a dozen wides in 21 extras.
