NPL title race now between four sides

Leaders Cuckney extended their lead at the top of the table to 25 points, despite being unable to complete the victory over their hosts, Clifton Village. Villagers’ skipper Alex King won the toss and invited the Bears to bat first. An imposing total of 241-7 was posted from the 50 overs, Nick Langford leading the way with 91. He shared in stands of 99 for the second wicket with Adam Burgess (35) and 61 for the fourth with Will Butler (23), Richard Bostock’s quickfire 41 padding the total, while Martin Weightman and Tim le Breton each claimed a pair of wickets. Lewis Bramley’s opening salvo of three wickets helped reduce the Clifton reply to 91-5, only 41 from Scott McNeill providing the resistance. Despite two wickets each for Will Butler and Nic Geisler, an 84-ball 31 not out from James Hollingsworth led the rearguard as Clifton secured a draw. The gap to second place Plumtree grew thanks to a sustained bout of corporal punishment at the PCG as the home side had the ‘Birch’ administered. Visiting Rolls Royce Leisure asked their hosts to bat first, and both sides would have had cause for optimism after Plumtree were bowled out in the final over for 248. A number of Plumdogs got started, but none cashed in as Joseph Tetley top-scored with 49, backed up by David Bedingham (48), Graeme White (39) and Ben Thompson (37). Mathew Roberts claimed 5-74, with Tom Lungley picking up 3-37 and Steve Atkinson a couple. The Rolls reply was a one man show. Dan Birch came in with the score 33-3 and proceeded to play a different game. Tom Lungley made 16 to be the second highest scorer in the innings as Rolls won by three wickets with four balls to spare. Birch finished not out on 171, coming from 95 balls and including 13 fours and 13 sixes, to set a season-high individual score. Remarkably, it wouldn’t make top 10 in Premier League history. The form side of the second half of the season, NCB Academy, kept up their good form securing a winning draw at Mansfield Hosiery Mills. On being put in to bat, Jake Libby (73) and Hassan Azad (60) set the platform with a 140-run second wicket stand. Connor Marshall (32) and a pair of 29s from Anuj Dal and Elliot Bowles took the Academy total to 252-8. The Matts, Wright (3-66) and New (4-73) did the lion’s share to keep them in check. Jake Tong took a pair of early wickets as the Millers found themselves 9-3. As so often this season, though, Tom New led the recovery, scoring 74 as, in tandem with Kesahra Jayasinghe (67), he featured in a 132-run fourth wicket stand. Jayasinghe added 61 with Kunal Manek (25) as MHM held out for a draw. Champions West Indian Cavaliers are the least likely of the quartet who could yet win the league, but no one has told them yet. They put Ordsall Bridon to the sword at Birchover Park. For the third time this season Bridon left a game pointless, having completed half the overs or fewer. This one lasted 34 overs. Ricaldo Anderson (10-2-17-5) and Gemaal Hussain (4-24) blew Ordsall away for a total of 59 from 21.4 overs. David Fagan top-scored with 15. Hussain then hit 26 and Usman Afzaal 25 not out as Cavs cruised to the target in the 12th over. Those two results leave Ordsall and MHM tied on 147 points at the foot of the table, separated only by dint of MHM having won three matches to Ordsall’s two. Welbeck Colliery are the third side in the firing line of relegation, and they remain eight points clear after gaining a losing draw at home to Caythorpe. The visitors won the toss and opted to bat, Martyn Dobson making 92 and figuring in a pair of century stands, 100 with Steve Allcoat (51) and 104 with Mat Dowman (53). Caythorpe’s 232-7 was probably some way short of expectation from 207-2 as Ashley Willis, Robert French and Jonathon Ball all grabbed a couple of late wickets each. The Colliers’ reply got off to a great start, as Andrew Parkin-Coates (73) and Matthew Higgins (42) made 125 for the first wicket, but only Richard Stroh, with 54 at a run a ball, made any further significant contribution as Mat Dowman (4-49), James Hawley (3-63), and George McCaffrey, with a pair, pegged them back and almost secured the win, Welbeck closing on 219-9. The day’s final game saw Kimberley Institute and Radcliffe-on-Trent swap places on a day when both sides secured Premier League cricket for next season. George Bacon bowled 15-4-39-6 as Radcliffe were dismissed for just 95 inside 33 overs, James Marshall top-scoring with 21. Kimberely secured the win in the 22nd over for the loss of four wickets with Tom Rowe making 23 and Bacon an unbeaten 22. David Lucas and Usman Muzaffar had two wickets each.