Cuckney eye up return to top spot in the Nottinghamshire Premier League with a weekend home double

Cuckney won by 69 runs at Plumtree on Saturday and sit third, 10 points off top spot.

After two successive defeats, it was a much-needed win as they tried to stay in the title race, though leaders Cavaliers and second-placed Kimberley both also won.

This weekend they host Clifton Village on Saturday and Notts & Arnold Amateur on Sunday and assistant captain Richard Bostock said: “We needed to bounce back and take the full eight points on Saturday and we did the job pretty well.

“Now we will be looking to take the full 16 points this weekend with both games being at home and hopefully that will mean we can leapfrog them both.

“We will have played a game more than Cavaliers but it's important to get the points on the board and let the other others chase again which puts us in a strong position.”

Put into bat at Plumtree, Cuckney made 290-5.

Overseas star Andrew Hazeldine made a crucial 81 for them with 66 for Joseph Hayes and 33 for Nathan Crookes.

Hazeldine and Hayes put on 92 for the sixth wicket.

Conner Limrick took 3-37 from seven overs.

Plumtree were then bowled out for 221 in 42.1 overs.

In trouble at 40-3, Kyle Simmonds (81) and Zak Bess (45) fought back with a stand of 82.

But once Bess was gone, only James Ayres (35) stuck around with Nick Keast in fine form for Cuckney with 5-44 off 9.1 overs to see them home to maximum points.

“Usually we like to chase but on Saturday we were looking to bat anyway as the wicket looked a little bit dry, so we thought chasing down a score would be difficult,” said Bostock.

“It turned out that it seamed around quite early and we were 30-odd for three. But Joe Hayes and Andrew Hazeldine in the middle order really got us going and allowed us to boost the score towards the end.

“At one stage we were on course for about 250, then all of a sudden we were at 290, so it was a really good effort from the middle order.

“It was a difficult day. Nathan Crookes took two early wickets and bowled quite well.

“Then they did the same as we had and dug in, their overseas player Kyle Simmonds batted nicely and really got their innings going.

“Nick Keast then came back on and bowled really nicely, bowling the right line and attacking the stumps and I think most of his wickets were clean-bowled which was pleasing to see.”