NOTTS PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP: Cuckney fluff golden chance to put pressure on leaders

After winning two of their opening three matches, Cuckney became the first team this term to lose to the struggling Nottinghamshire CCC Academy side, tumbling to 121 all out.

They had done well to dislodge Academy for 170 with Trent Lawford taking 4-38. But in reply, they had no answer to the two-pronged attack of Ben Kitt (6-26) and Liam Patterson-White (3-21), with only Joseph Hayes (33) and Adam Burgess delaying the outcome, which was a 49-run reverse.

There was better news, however, for Welbeck Colliery and Mansfield Hosiery Mills, both of whom celebrated their first outright victories of the new campaign.

Welbeck entertained Radcliffe-on-Trent, who were asked to bat first and totalled 211-9. A stand of 102 between Daniel Mason (74) and Rob Sutton (44) eased the visitors to 142-2 at one stage before the bowlers fought back in the hands of Jonathan Ball (3-50) and Richard Stroh (3-54). Welbeck’s reply then got off to a flier as David Hunt and Andrew Parkin-Coates (61) shared a first-wicket partnership of 78, and the good work was continued by Stroh (38) and Gurpej Landa, who put on a further 54. Things got tight, however, and as Radcliffe battled hard to the wire, the hosts only scrambled over the line with two balls and four wickets to spare.

Hosiery Mills made a successful journey to high-flying Caythorpe, who were rushed out for just 128, despite a solid start by openers Steve Allcoat and Martyn Dobson (44), who put on 51. Bowler Elliot Bowles changed the course of the game with figures of 5-20, and then the Mansfield side knocked off the runs for the loss of six wickets, with an unbeaten 58 from Irosh Samarasooriya making all the difference.

At the top of the table, last season’s runners-up Plumtree are 13 points clear after a superb performance to overwhelm Clifton Village. Put into bat, they racked up a huge total of 305-9 thanks largely to knocks of 103 from Saad Ashraf, 55 from Oliver Soames and 34 from Hassan Azad. In response, Clifton were bundled out for 89 as Nicholas Winter raced in with 5-23 and Matt Milnes claimed 3-20.

Defending champions Kimberley suffered their first defeat of 2016, going down by three wickets to old rivals, West Indian Cavaliers. Asked to bat first, they were restricted to 179-8 in their allotted 50 overs, despite a fightback from 86-5 led by Tom Rowe (56) and George Bacon (30). Cavaliers’ reply was built around Adeel Shafique’s innings of 83 as they got home with two overs in hand.

In the week’s remaining fixture, newly-promoted Hucknall fell foul of all-rounder Aqab Ahmed as they crashed by 109 runs at Ordsall Bridon. They had the home side struggling on 117-6, despite a run-a-ball 50 from Sufian Munir, but then Ahmed blasted nine sixes in a brilliant 84 that guided his side to a final total of 234. The same player also took 4-33 with the ball, backed up by Logan van Beek (3-29), as Hucknall’s meek reply limped to 135 all out to waste the fine bowling work undertaken by Suhail Ahmed (6-49) and Josh Downie (3-21).

RESULTS (home teams named first) -- Caythorpe 128 lost to Mansfield Hosiery Mills 132-6 by 4 wickets; Notts CCC Academy 170 beat Cuckney 121 by 49 runs; Ordsall Bridon 234 beat Hucknall 135 by 109 runs; Plumtree 305-9 beat Clifton 89 by 216 runs; Welbeck 215-6 beat Radcliffe-on-Trent 211-9 by 4 wickets; West Indian Cavaliers 182-7 beat Kimberley 179-8 by 3 wickets.