Holders Cuckney lose their national club crown in narrow defeat at Smethwick

Cuckney had won the title on a day to remember at Lord's last year.

But this time they fell short in a game that had to be rescheduled after rain had forced its abandonment a week earlier.

Cuckney put the hosts into bat and bowled them out for 158 in 38.2 overs.

Deepak Khatri scored 24 for the West Midlanders but Archie Shannon (4-28 off eight overs) and Adam Tillcock (3-28 off eight overs) soon had them all out to leave Cuckney with a winnable target.

However, Smethwick roared back and bowled out the title-holders for 143 in 39.3 overs.

Nick Langford was the star turn with the bat, hitting 54, including six fours.

But Smethwick got the job completed with Manraj Johal claiming 3-28 off 7.3 overs and Naseer Ahmad 3-31 off eight.

“It was a close game but probably the better team won on the day, so all credit to Smethwick,” said Cuckney vice-captain Tom Ullyott.

“That is one title we won't be defending this year and it's disappointing we didn't put in the performance that was needed on the day.

“It was a tricky wicket and, having been there the week before, we knew what to expect.

“We knew it would be a tough chase and that's how it turned out, though we did play some poor shots.

“It was a total we should have knocked off and nine times out of 10 I'd like to think we would do.

“But you have to put it in every game and, unfortunately, we were not quite at it on Sunday.

“The scorecard tells its own tale. We didn't get going with the bat at any point and any time we looked like getting a partnership together we seemed to lose a wicket.

“It was 15 runs in the end and if we had fielded better, taken some catches or batted a little better then we would be in the next round.

“So we will now look towards the league on Saturday and T20 finals day on Sunday.”

It had been another close one the day before as Cuckney edged home by six runs in a rain-affected game at Notts & Arnold Amateur in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.

Put into bat, Cuckney made 212-6 in their 50 overs with 66 not out for Ullyott and 66 also for Tillcock.

Notts & Arnold had them 80-4 at one point until Ullyott and captain Tillcock took charge with a crucial 96 partnership for the fifth wicket.

Devansh Verma claimed 3-58 from his 10 overs.

Rain intervened and under Duckworth-Lewis Notts & Arnold were set a new target of 140 from 26 overs, but they fell seven runs short in the end on 133-8.

Opener Josh Mierkalns led their fight with a swashbuckling 58, including 13 boundaries.

Tillcock completed a good afternoon's work with 3-25 from his six overs.

“Rain-affected games are always tricky, very stop-start, and can favour the team batting second,” said Ullyott.

“We probably didn't bat as well as we'd have liked and we set a 'middling' total.

“We looked a bit dead and buried at one point but, to be fair, we showed quite a bit of fight and effort to get on the right end of that result.

“It keeps the pressure on Cavaliers at the top, and Kimberley lost on Saturday which was a plus for us – we play both in the next couple of weeks.

“To get eight points on Saturday from the situation we were in at one point, we were pretty happy to be honest.”

Cuckney host rivals Kimberley Institute this Saturday.