Kimberley pulling clear at the top after making it 10 out 10
Kimberley Institute took a firm grip on the Nottinghamshire Premier League title race with a 10th win out of 10 this season – while others behind slipped up.
Kimberley kept up their unbeaten run with a three-wicket win at Collingham & District.
Batting first, the home side lost wickets regularly and were 111-7 as George Scottorn claimed 4-29 for Kimberley, before a late fightback from Jack Copley (37) and David Pipes (26no) got them to 178-8 in their 50 overs.
But Kimberley then found batting was not easy in reply and slipped to 80-5 at one stage.
However, Martin Weightman (56) and Harry Ratcliffe (37no) eased any worries in the away dressing room with a sixth-wicket stand of 80 before Ratcliffe and Alex King (25) got the job done at 179-7 with two overs to spare.
Kimberley then got the good news that defending champions Cavaliers & Carrington – who had been in second place at the start of the weekend – had suffered a shock defeat by Papplewick & Linby, dropping them down to third and leaving Hucknall as Kimberley nearest challengers, 14 points behind in second place.
Hucknall and Kimberley then met the following day in round two of the NCB Premier League Twenty20 Cup – and it saw Kimberley suffer a rare defeat.
Batting first, Kimberley built a solid early platform as George Bacon (37) and Alex Aldred (36) put on 74 for the second wicket.
But from 87-1, Kimberley lost their next six wickets for just 34 and needed late runs from Aatish Kean Maharaj (23) to get them to 146-7 in their 20 overs.
George Blatherwick (3-23) was the pick of the Hucknall bowlers and his unbeaten 20 took the hosts over the line in reply at 149-6 in 18.1 overs after earlier good knocks from Ryan Buckley (31), Greg Willows (34) and Archie Moore (21).
Bacon and Joe Boocker both took two wickets each for Kimberley.