Into the deep end, the business end of the season in the Owzat-Cricket Nottinghamshire Premier League, and it’s still tight at the top of their Premier Division, just eight points splitting the top three sides of Kimberley Institute CC, Cuckney CC, and defending champions, Cavaliers & Carrington CC.
The new top two both collected victories as Cavs slipped up, losing a low-scoring encounter with visitors Papplewick & Linby CC; Kimberley on the other-hand, that was a high-scoring game when they accounted for visiting Attenborough CC, by 165 runs.
Kimberley posted a sizeable 370/6 as both Dan Birch (102) and Jack Nightingale (104) struck centuries, Ximus Du Plooy adding a useful knock of 89 for added measure, whilst the visitors, they found themselves all out for 205, Daniel Freeman just squeezing past the half century to top score with 51; Attenborough were undone by the bowling of George Scotton 4-24, and Martin Weightman 3-49.
Cuckney meanwhile leapfrogged Cavs into second place when they defeated hosts Hucknall CC, by six wickets, both sides having made 190 with the visitors all out in 45 overs, Nicol Loftie-Eaton making 73, Adam Tillcock taking 4-31; replying, the hosts reached their revised target, in 42.4 overs as Nick Langford made 75 n/o.
Meanwhile, Papplewick & Linby saw off hosts, Cavaliers & Carrington, by eight wickets thanks to a trio of wickets from Jim Rhodes 3-10, and Sakhumuzi Ndlela 3-36, Abdullah Tahir’s 37 top-scoring in their 111 all out, the visitors making 114/2 in just 27.4 overs, openers Louis Bhabra (46 n/o) and Ndlela (48), top-scoring.
Bottom club, Mansfield Hosiery Mills CC, were on the end of a heavy defeat when they lost by 212 runs against visiting Plumtree CC, who posted 287/8 prior to skittling their hosts for just 75 (in 20 overs); Dan Harris may have taken 4-58 but opener Saad Ashraf’s 95, and Kyle Simmonds’ 58, added to a decent innings, Mansfield seeing just three of their batsmen making double figures in Adam Dobb (17), Mark Smallwood (15), and Harris (12), Ishraj Jandu impressing with 3-4, and Albert Carter taking 3-25.
Elsewhere West Bridgfordians CC defeated visitors Radcliffe-on-Trent CC by five wickets with James Hawley making fifty for Radcliffe, and Wollaton CC beat Clifton Village CC by seven wickets as Hamish Llewelyn (61) and Andy Kirkwood (53) making half-centuries for the hosts.
As for Division Two, ten points separated first and second, and just two splitting second and third, going into the weekend’s matches, however, results on Saturday changed the landscape slightly, Welbeck CC maintaining their ten point advantage following a 31 run success at Clipstone CC, Jean Du Plessis hitting 86 before his bowlers dismissed the hosts for 182, Andrew Marchant the pick of the bowlers with 2-13.
Notts Unity CC kept up the pressure in second place as they defeated hosts Thoresby Colliery CC by 62 runs, Muhammad Naeem with an unbeaten knock of 133 n/o in their 311/6 innings before Moushin Qayyum took 4-31 to restrict the hosts to 249/7.
As for Gedling & Sherwood CC in third, they slipped up when losing by seven wickets at home to Balderton CC, the hosts all out for 225, Balderton making 229/3 for the win.
Next up (Saturday 5 August) in the Premier Division, leaders Kimberley Institute CC are on the road at Radcliffe-on-Trent, Cuckney CC travel to Papplewick & Linby CC, and Cavaliers & Carrington CC are at Attenborough CC, whilst in Division Two, Welbeck CC hosts Thoresby Colliery CC, Notts Unity CC welcome Caythorpe CC, and Gedling & Sherwood CC are at Collingham & District CC.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @NottsPrem action from the Owzat Notts Premier League.
