A hat-trick of wickets, and still ending up on the losing side, was the fate which befell Notts & Arnold CC’s Adam Martin on Saturday, as his side fell to 116 run defeat to visitors Wollaton CC, he taking a decent, 4-65 – however, Wollaton’s knock was 322/9 en route to victory.
The historic haul for Martin saw him take the successive wickets of Suhaib Ahmad (9), Sam Humphries (1), and Zain Latif (0), the latter though, making amends with the ball himself when posting bowling figures of 3-32, to help his side to victory.
Alongside Nicky Smallwood’s 109, four other Wollaton batsmen would pass the 35+ mark in Hamish Llewellyn, Taariq Stamikazi, Hassan Azad, and Jibran Azam, Notts & Arnold’s Johan Cronje top scored for his side with a knock of 91, Latif keeping them at bay.
At the top end of the Owzat-Cricket Nottinghamshire Premier League Premier Division, Cavaliers & Carrington CC remain in front following their weekend double success, defeating Gedling & Sherwood CC by 184 runs on Saturday, and away to Wollaton, by two wickets, the following day.
Against Gedling, the visitors made the mistake of putting the leaders into bat first, and they responded with a knock of 244/3, in just forty overs, Fateh Singh 76 n/o and Sunny Patel 71 leading the way, whilst Imran Butt supported well with a half century of his own; replying, Chrissy Lawrence’s unbeaten 40 n/o in vain of the mountain to climb.
The following day, at Wollaton, the hosts racked up 274/9 from their fifty overs, a decent total with Daniel Andrew hitting 83, however, the run-chase was just squeezed in as the leaders, moving ten points clear at the top, knocked 275/8, in 49.5 overs, an impressive Imran Butt racking up the runs with 139, alongside a half-century from Shaharyar Aslam.
Second placed Cuckney CC claimed a two wicket win of their own on Saturday, seeing off visitors Clifton Village CC, who posted 274/8, affording another run chase reached in the closing balls; Clifton opener, Ross Carnelley, top-scored with 80, whilst Kiel Van Vollenhoven hit 70 himself.
William Butler’s 94 aided the run-chase, whilst Nicholas Keast hit fifty as they made 278/8 in 49.4 overs, the win keeping them within touching distance of the leaders, and just ahead of the chasing pack.
On the Sunday, in the other game played, Cuckney defeated Notts & Arnold themselves, by 131 runs, when hitting 362/8, Keast smashing 135 from just 85 balls, alongside Thomas Ullyott’s 56 (from 55), before restricting Notts to 232/5 in reply, Cronje with 102 himself.
That chasing pack is fronted by Kimberley Institute CC, they having edged hosts Plumtree CC, by just 11 runs, knocking 244/7, thanks to Billy Godleman’s 92, the hosts struggling to 136/7 in their revised, thirty overs.
Papplewick & Linby CC make up the top four after a hefty, 204 run success when home to Attenborough, hitting 285/9 before skittling their visitors for just 76 (not the lowest of the day) in 28 overs.
For the victors, opener Brent Williams hit 101 in 102 balls, with Ben Trevor-Jones adding 51, Attenborough meanwhile, albeit with four of their batsmen reaching double figures, could not get going and Christopher Glover’s bowling figures of 4-15 finished them off, David France and Ben Bhabra adding two apiece themselves.
The remaining Premier Division game saw Hucknall CC win by six wickets when away to Radcliffe-on-Trent, Matthew Roberts with an unbeaten 80 n/o for the victors.
West Bridgfordians CC returned to the top of Division Two when defeating Caythorpe CC by nine wickets, just four points ahead of Cavaliers 2nds, who lost by six wickets when at Welbeck CC.
Mansfield Hosiery Mills CC however, in third place, picked up a big, 232 run success, when hosting Thorseby Colliery CC, posting 275/8, Charana Nanayakkara with 78, and Mark Smallwood 52 helping towards the total; meanwhile, their bowlers tore apart the Thoresby response, dismantling them for a paltry 43, none of their batsmen reaching double figures.
Of the Mansfield HM bowling attack, Rachid Oneale took 4-13, whilst Nanayakkara 2-8, Dan Norris 2-4, and Jonathan Salmon 2-11, was racked up in 21.4 overs.
Elsewhere in Division Two, Balderton CC won by 79 runs at home to Cuckney 2nds, and Clipstone CC by 24 runs away to Collingham & District CC, both Adam Dutton and James Hubball knocking out 102 runs apiece.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @NottsPrem Cuckney picked up a two wicket win against Clifton Village before beating Notts & Arnold over the weekend.
