South Notts Cricket League

DIVISION A leaders Radcliffe-on-Trent require just 30 points from their final three games to clinch the title after overcoming a disappointing Southwell outfit.

Southwell were outplayed from the start, although losing the toss had a bearing on the outcome.

Southwell were bowled out for 103 by Tom Crosse (3-28) and Eddie Torr (2-20). Chris Holden's 16 overs leaked just 21 runs and included three victims.

The early dismissal of overseas Marc Ellison and a couple of late scalps for Stephen Wright were as good as it got for the visitors after tea as Richard Brooks (45*) and Rob Sutton (42) made hay in the drying conditions.

Notts Unity battled back to win a thriller against mid-table Balderton. Unity posted 166 and the visitors looked well set on 121-2, with Dominic Wiffin striking 59.

However, the spin of Usman Mussafer (5- 39) began to reap rewards and Balderton's middle and late order, with the exception of Jack Beckett (22), panicked.

With two runs off two balls required, Ben Savage had Paul Colcombe caught behind to leave Unity with an outside chance of the main prize.

Belvoir, without the services of the injured Darren Bicknell, move up to third after brushed aside Calverton (96).

The losers struggled all day as left-armer Lee Fazackerley gained his first five-wicket haul for the club.

After the interval it was the turn of Charles Hubbard to shine with a run-a-ball 50.

Both Gedling sides recorded vital victories at the wrong end of the table and their wins ensured that Long Eaton have now been dragged into the dogfight.

In truth, it was an uncovered track that told at West Park, where the home side could only muster 62 against Colliery.

In fact, that total was somewhat of an achievement after Long Eaton had slipped to 27-8 before No.9 Alan Villers showed some stomach for the fight with an unbeaten 29.

For Gedling, veteran Baz Bailey (7-21) was magnificent in exploiting the conditions.

The day was slightly soured for Colliery with news of a comfortable victory for rivals Gedling & Sherwood.

Samrat Sharma was again at the heart of things taking 5-8 as visitors Eastwood slumped to 111 all out with only Adam Leigh (47) showing any resistance.

Sharma (75) needed some help from a couple of vets, Kev Cowlishaw and Alex Norton, who took a couple of wickets apiece. Colliery and Sherwood meet in a fortnight.

Academy lay claim for title

ANOTHER comprehensive victory by Notts Academy over third-placed Killamarsh saw them tighten their grip as favourites for the Championship.

They brushed aside Killamarsh by eight wickets with 11 overs to spare.

Killamarsh had Paul Burdett (51) in sparkling form and skipper Adam Whiteley chipped in with a half century. After that only Richard Crabtree and, to a lesser extent, Luke Saint defied the Academy attack for any period of time and they were limited to 176-9.

Ben McGuire was the pick of the Academy attack taking 3-32 and he received useful support from Adam Shepherd (2-18) and Akhil Patel (2-33).

Then Sam Kelsall (69) and Akil Patel (59) produced an array of fine shots and laid the foundations for a comfortable win.

Kiveton easily brushed away Edwinstowe by six wickets. Edwinstowe were bundled out for 117 runs despite Paul Benson's 35.

Kiveton skipper Lee Brooks inflicted the most damage with a super stint of 7-39.

Kiveton reached 118-4 with relative ease, Matty Cartwright (42*) leading the way.

Glapwell collapsed from 99-2 to 122 all out against Notts & Arnold Amateur at Goosedale.

Spin twins Richard Pallister (4-19) and Dave Wood (4-26) set up the ten-wicket win – despite a half century for Danny Bircumshaw.

The reply came at hurricane pace as Ian Flood savaged the Glapwell attack for an unbeaten 83 and Andy Claye with an unbeaten 33 watched on with admiration from the other end.

Bridon captured a much-needed winning draw against Anston. Bridon scored 196, mainly thanks to Marc Brewer's 70 and a fine 41 from experienced Rob McLeod.

Ian Barley bowled splendidly for Anston, taking 5-49.

With Sri-Lankan Amila Perera in excellent form, the result was in doubt. But Perera fell for 86 and Anston closed just two runs short with one wicket left on 194-9.

Thoresby Colliery continued their improved form with a six-wicket against Marshalls. Inspirational skipper Paul Van den Heuvel made 33 out of a total of just 108. Umar Hassan (4-26) and Nyeem Ahmed (3-31) ripped through flimsy batting. Hassan then scored 37 as Thoresby eased their way to 109-4.

Cavs hit by the weather

THE Notts Premier Cricket League programme was badly hit by the weather.

Papplewick v Caythorpe and West Indian Cavaliers v Welbeck were both abandoned, the grounds unfit to start.

The start was delayed at Clifton Village, where visitors Kimberley won the toss and asked the home side to bat first, the game reduced to 45 overs per side.

Clifton made 187-7 with Liam Andrews and Richard Harris both scoring 38 in a third-wicket stand of 84. Nigel Porter took 3-46 for the visitors, who then made 143-9 in 45 overs for a losing draw. Carl Blake hit 42 (five fours) and Jon Shaw made 38.

Clifton's Liam Andrews took 3-41 and Peter Scott 3-29 as the home side maintained top spot.

Plumtree's fortunes did not improve at home to Cuckney where the visitors won the toss and asked Plumtree to bat, a delayed start reducing the overs to 40 per side.

Plumtree were dismissed for 80 in 26 overs, Cuckney skipper Will Butler taking 4-34 and Dan Brown 3-21.

The visitors then hit 81 off 29 overs for the loss of just three wickets, Adam Burgess finishing unbeaten on 37.

Plumtree's Jurgen Charlesworth took all three wickets for 23 runs but small consolation for the home side who stay rooted to the bottom of the table.

Farnsfield asked visitors Wollaton to bat first and bowled them out for 141 in 47 overs, Tim Young scoring 39. Farnsfield's Neil Sharp took 6-42 off 15 overs backed up by David Loveridge's 3-13 off 7 overs.

The home side lost just three wickets in making the required 142 in 37 overs, Dave Willcock making 55 (five fours, three sixes) in a first-wicket stand of 85 with James Bennett (35) to secure a useful win.

Fellow strugglers Attenborough were away to Mansfield Hosiery Mills who made 212-6 off their 50 overs. Sudesh Fernando (50, six fours, one six) shared a stand of 98 for the second wicket with Matt New (33). Skipper Keshera Jayasinghe scored 39 and Hassan Adnan 38.

Best bowling figures for Attenborough came from Tom Murray (2-69) who also top scored with 49 (four fours, two sixes) as they finished on 184-5 off 50 overs. Keeper Shaun Fitzgibbon also scored 36. Jayasinghe returned the best bowling figures with 2-18, as Hosiery Mills secured a winning draw.

CLIFTON 187-7 in 45 overs (18 pts) drew with Kimberley 143-9 in 45 overs (6 pts).

For Clifton: L Andrews 38 & 3-41, R Harris 38, P Scott 3-29. For Kimberley: C Blake 42, J Shaw 38, N Porter 3-46.

Wollaton 141-10 in 47.1 overs (2 pts) lost to FARNSFIELD 142-3 in 37 overs (20 pts).

For Farnsfield: D Willcock 55, J Bennett 35, N Sharp 6-42, D Loveridge 3-13. For Wollaton: T Young 39.

MANSFIELD HM 212-6 in 50 overs (16 pts) drew with Attenborough 184-5 in 50 overs (7 pts).

For Mansfield HM: S Fernando 50, K Jayasinghe 39, H Adnan 38, M New 33. For Attenborough: T Murray 49, S Fitzgibbon 36.

PLUMTREE 80-10 in 25.3 overs (1 pt) lost to Cuckney 81-3 in 29 overs (20 pts).

For Plumtree: J Charlesworth 3-23. For Cuckney: A Burgess 37*, W Butler 4-34, D Brown 3-21.

WI CAVALIERS (6 pts ) Welbeck (6 pts) - off

PAPPLEWICK (6 pts) v Caythorpe (6 pts) - off

Cuckney win Twenty20 final

UCKNEY won the Nottinghamshire Premier Cricket League's Twenty20 Finals at Wollaton.

The event was well supported with an estimated 200-plus spectators.

The start was delayed for an hour following some hard work getting the ground suitable after all the rain.

The first match saw hosts Wollaton ask Marshalls to bat first. They made 85-8 off their 20 overs, Chris Blood top scoring with 24 not out. Paul McMahon took 3-9 off four overs, Scott Elstone 2-18 off three and Gerry McMahon 2-18 off his four.

Wollaton reached the required target of 86-5 in 18 overs with Steve Allcoat scoring 29. Best bowling figures for Marshalls were Tim Lane's 2-11 and Paul Van den Heuvel with 2-24 off four overs.

Cuckney played Attenborough in the second match. They chose to bat first and scored 125-4 off their 20 overs. Tom Ullyott hit 45 and was backed up by Francis O'Neill with 36 not out.

Attenborough were bowled out for 81, Richard Stroh taking 3-13 in three overs and Elliott Hind 2-5 in one over. Attenborough's top scorer was A Moss with 17.

Cuckney won the toss against Wollaton in the final and this time they made 134-5 in 20 overs, Ullyott scoring 33 and Stroh 29. Paul McMahon took 2-18 off four overs.

Wollaton were bowled out in the final over for 96, Scott Elstone top scoring with 30. Tom Ullyott impressed again, taking 3-20 off four overs backed by Will Butler and Dan Brown who both took 2-15.

Cuckney now go through to the Cockspur ECB East Midland's Finals at Wollaton on Sunday August 30. It will be a round-robin competition, starting at 10am, with Cuckney playing Leicestershire's champions, Kibworth.

Top Three All Lose

ALL three leading clubs lost in the Nottinghamshire Premier Cricket League as the race for the title hots up.

Clifton Village were beaten at home to Wollaton, the visitors choosing to bat first and making 205-7 off their 50 overs with Scott Elstone hitting 102 (six four, four sixes) and sharing a fourth wicket stand of 101 with Tim Young (36).

Clifton's Peter Scott took 3-48 but when the home side replied they were bowled out for 191 in the 49th over, Liam Andrews making 44 (three fours, one six) and Scott McNeill 32.

The chief wicket takers for Wollaton were skipper Paul McMahon (4-43) and Nick Ellsmore, 3-54.

Papplewick were at home to Mansfield Hosiery Mills, who were put in to bat and scored 210-5 in 50 overs with captain Keshera Jayasinghe unbeaten on 57 (three fours, one six), Hassan Adnan scoring 46 (five fours) and Gareth Curtis 32.

Papplewick were bowled out for only 136 in the 49th over, Alex Lloyd top scoring with 46 (three fours, one six). The bulk of the damage was done by Matt New, 4-34, and Kieron Garside, 3-26, as Hosiery Mills took maximum points.

Caythorpe were visitors to West Indian Cavaliers, the home side asking them to bat first and they were only able to make 163-9 in their 50 overs, James Hartley unbeaten on 48 (one four, one six).

Although losing opener Aaron Thomas when the score was 40, the Cavaliers never really looked in trouble as they made 165-3 in 39 overs, which included a second wicket stand of 82 between Usman Afzaal (61, five fours, two sixes) and Mortaza Ali (41, five fours).

Bottom-placed Plumtree gained a long-awaited win against visitors Kimberley, who were bowled out for 98 in 45 overs, Jon Shaw top-scoring with 47 (three fours).

Jurgen Charlesworth weighed in with 6-26 off nine overs for the home side, who then lost eight wickets themselves before reaching 99 to win in the 40th over to claim a precious 20 points. Kimberley's Matt Wright took 5-27 in 13 overs.

Attenborough came out on top in the other bottom-of-the-table clash at Farnsfield, who were 137 all out in 45 overs, Steve Musgrove scoring 36 and Attenborough's Andy Carter taking 5-44.

The visitors got the required 138 in 29 overs but lost six wickets in doing so, Neil Sharp finishing with 3-29.

Cuckney were at home for the middle of the table game against Welbeck. Welbeck chose to bat first and made 189-9 in 50 overs which included a stand of 102 between James Brice, who scored 72 (two fours, six sixes) and skipper Jon Ball (22). Tom Ullyott took 4-40 off nine overs for Cuckney who then reached the winning total of 190-6 in the 49th over. The innings featured a third wicket stand of 103 between Richard Stroh (58, nine fours) and captain Will Butler (51, seven fours, one six) as well as a rapid but much needed 21 not out by Dan Brown to take the home side to victory.

Wollaton 205-7 in 50 overs (20 pts) beat CLIFTON 191 in 48.5 overs (6 pts). For Wollaton: S Elstone 102, T Young 36, P McMahon 4-33, N Ellsmore 3-54. For Clifton: L Andrews 44, S McNeill 32, P Scott 3-48.

FARNSFIELD 137-10 in 45 overs (2 pts) lost to Attenborough 138-6 in 29.2 overs (20 pts). For Farnsfield: S Musgrove 36, N Sharpe 3-29. For Attenborough: A McKinlay 57, A Carter 5-44.

Welbeck 189-9 in 50 overs (5 pts) lost to CUCKNEY 190-6 in 48.3 overs (19 pts). For Welbeck: J Brice 72, G Darwin 3-55. For Cuckney: R Stroh 58, W.Butler 51, T.Ullyott 4-40.

Kimberley 98-10 in 45 overs (3 pts) lost to PLUMTREE 99-8 in 39.5 overs (20 pts). For Kimberley: J Shaw 47, M Wright 5-27. For Plumtree: J Charlesworth 6-26.

Caythorpe 163-9 in 50 overs (3 pts) lost to WI CAVALIERS 165-3 in 37.3 overs (18 pts). For Caythorpe: J Hartley 48*. For WI Cavaliers: U Afzaal 61, M Ali 41.

Mansfield HM 210-5 in 50 overs (20 pts) beat PAPPLEWICK 136-10 in 48.4 overs (2 pts). For Mansfield HM: K Jayasinghe 57*, H Adnan 46, G Curtis 32, M New 4-34, Kieron Garside 3-26. For Papplewick: A Lloyd 46.

The result is in order of team batting first. Uppercase indicates home side.

Another Victory For Notts Academy

AFTER being put in on a wicket that did absolutely nothing other than the very occasional ball keeping low, Notts Academy easily kept their place at the top of the table with a 125-run win over Thoresby Colliery.

The only thing they lost all afternoon was the toss. Thoresby made the mistake of inserting them and then saw a massive 294-4 total posted by a rampant Academy side.

It didn't start too badly for them as Adil Hussain had Sam Wood caught behind with only 22 on the board. Then Sam Kelsall was caught in similar fashion by Ben Marson for 31 off Masood Usman.

Ben McGuire followed cheaply but a massive stand of 170 between Jason Mohammad and Adam Shepherd changed the game.

Mohammad hit 17 fours and two sixes in a gem of an innings that yielded 142 excellent runs. When he became Marson's third catch, Shepherd took the starring role and blasted the ball to all points of the ground.

Shepherd was stranded on an unbeaten 81 as the overs drew to a close.

After a good start, Thoresby collapsed dramatically. Only Mansoor Khan (34*) propped up the innings to any degree and never looked in much trouble throughout his innings.

Shepherd completed a fine all-round game, taking 3-38 while McGuire weighed in with 4-34 as Thoresby were bowled out for 169.

Had Notts not bowled out Thoresby they would have most likely been penalised between eight and ten points because they were heading for half an hour over the allotted time.

Kiveton Park kept up second place with a winning draw over struggling Bridon, who played their best cricket for several weeks.

Kiveton scored a substantial 227-8, with Chris Hadley making an impressive 79.

Great support came from Matty Cartwright (54) and Ian Hampshire (40). Matthew Makings (4-68) and Wayne Spooner (3-51) bowled well for Bridon.

Bridon made a pretty good fist of things scoring 192-9. Rob McLeod hit a sparkling 77 but an inspired spell by Lee Brooks (4-29) was the difference between the two sides as Kiveton came away with 18 points.

Caythorpe 2nd looked in command for much of their match with Killamarsh before the latter eased to victory by four wickets. Caythorpe reached a reasonable total of 202-7 with James Oldham (41), Richard Beaumont (38) and the talented Richard Coleman (49) all batting well.

Richard Malcolm was the pick of the Killamarsh attack taking 3-39.

Killamarsh lost some early wickets but sterling work by Mark Bull (35) and Matt Davis (43) was complemented by a great captain's knock from Adam Whiteley, who made an excellent 66 not out to steer his side to 204-6 and victory.

Andrew Staszkiewicz bowled superbly to take 4-63.

Without question, the team of the month must be Anston who, inspired by Sri-Lankan import Amila Perera, have taken 75 points out of a possible 80.

Batting first at Goosedale against Notts. & Arnold Amateur, Anston reached a rather disappointing 187-8 with Perera making 53, Andrew Ruczenczyn (36) and Neil Carter (32*). Richard Pallister (3-30) was the pick of the home attack.

With Ian Flood moving Notts. & Arnold away to their usual flamboyant start the result looked in little doubt until the entrance of Perera. The moment Flood was dismissed for a belligerent 44, the Notts. & Arnold batting fell apart and they were bowled out for 122. Perera claimed 5-11 and Neil Carter 3-33.

Glapwell returned to form by thrashing Retford by 77 runs at Park Avenue.

On a dampish wicket, Glapwell were indebted to Danny Bircumshaw who applied himself perfectly and made a match-winning innings of 92 not out in a total of 196-9. Stuart Adams was the pick of the Retford bowlers taking 3-26 with his medium pacers.

Retford's fragile battling was shown up again and they were bowled out for 119.

Only Australian Rob Condy made 50 valuable runs, while Jeff Wharton produced his best bowling stint of the season taking 5-28.

Edwinstowe's fluctuating form took another dip as they suffered a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Marshalls.

Edwinstowe had a good start with Tom Ward (81) and Australian Joe Burns (71) both batting brilliantly but a shocking collapse left them at 201-8 when the overs ran out.

Marshalls made it over the winning line with two overs to spare on 202-6 through skipper Paul Van den Heuval (58) and Joe Allan (46).

Radcliffe Win Battle At The Top

The top-of-the-table clash in A between Radcliffe-on-Trent and Notts Unity Casuals lived up to all the hype.

And it was Radcliffe who were celebrating after clinching a nail-biting two-wicket win to extend their lead at the top to 31 points.

Unity's innings never really got going, although they were given a decent enough start in the shape of Brian Baptiste (46) and Simon Neal (24).

Neal looked in sublime form until Michael Bratt held on to a difficult chance at cover. Usman Mussafer (26) and James Marshall (24) both made starts but a total of 169 was below par on a decent enough track.

Eddie Torr impressed, particularly in his second spell, finishing with 5-27.

After tea, a healthy crowd were treated to a superb spell of seam bowling from 16-year-old Kafeel Shaffique who picked up six of the first seven wickets to fall.

Rob Brookes stood firm but with the exception of Richard Fentum (27), his support was poor and at 104-7, the honours looked like they were going the way of the visitors.

However, Torr (25) decided that attack was the best form of defence. Brooks (76*) was simply brilliant, never offering a chance and together with an unlikely hero Chris Holden (17*), the pair got to the target with two overs remaining.

Southwell remain third after a comfortable home win over Calverton, who are running out of games to save themselves.

The bottom club managed only 137 with 16-year-old George Bacon taking a five-wicket haul. After a few early wickets fell in the reply, Bacon (49*) got together with Matt Davis (44*) to ensure a comfortable win.

Belvoir increased the gap between them and the rest below in fourth with Eastwood (101) hanging on for a losing draw. There were more runs for professional Darren Bicknell, 139 out of 220. Tom Neville weighed in with 38 to set the home side a testing challenge.

In the chase, only Imran Azam (38) threatened, but was dismissed at 81. Regular wickets fell and Belvoir looked odds on for outright victory at 90-9. However Shaun Stocks and Luke Elderkin dug deep and defended successfully for 12 overs to deny the visitors.

It looks like its going down to the wire at the bottom with both Gedling clubs recording positive results. Colliery had mainly Shane Pidgeon (90) to thank at home to Balderton, however the innings was given a boost towards the death with a blast of 37 from just 12 balls from Michael Bailey, whose cameo included four sixes.

Chasing 221 for victory, Balderton managed only 85-6 before stumps were drawn. At 60-6, Gedling may have sensed an outright win but there were no further dismissals with Jeff Burton (3-23) the pick of the attack.

At West Park, Long Eaton's Tim Taylor again ploughed a lone furrow in the top order. Taylor struck 54 as none of the remaining top six recorded double figures.

At 37-5, things looked very bleak, but battling knocks from Alan Villiers (36) and 15-year-old Jack Harrison gave the final total (143) a modicum of respectability. Gedling & Sherwood have sorely missed Shaun Carmody (4-27) and Alex Norton (3-35) for the majority of the season.

The reply was not without its trials and tribulations. Alan Villiers (1-21 off 16 overs) was miserly in the extreme, while there were a couple of wickets apiece for Craig Mellors and Leon Botha.

However, with contributions from John Gell (39), Jerry Cruise (31) and Samrat Sharma (25), the visitors eventually got home in the penultimate over.

At the top in B, there were wins for Gotham Village and Hyson Green Caribs.

Gotham's victory came against a weak Kimberley II side who could do nothing to stop the visitors recording 258. After tea Kimberley failed to make three figures with Brad Moore (3-32) the pick of an impressive attack.

Caribs bowlers were again on song, restricting form team Loughborough Carillon to just 95 in their 48 overs. The highlight of the first half was an impressive spell of bowling from skipper Liaquat Ali who took 4-14 in his 16-over spell with Taufseer Shah the back-up with 3-27.

There were jitters again for the Caribs, though, with six wickets falling in the chase before the experience of Monty Douglas (30*) saw the winners home. Defeat for the visitors was a touch harsh on Toby Waistling (34 and 3-23).

Rolls Royce have not given up hope of promotion and recorded a six-wicket win at Newstead Village (138). An unchanged spell of 5-39 from Saleem Karim restricted the losers and then brother Rahim finally got in the runs with an unbeaten 53. Nick Hand (2-32) bowled well for Newstead but things may have turned out differently if he had held on to a caught-and-bowled opportunity when Karim was on nought.

Hucknall did their survival chances a power of good with a 17-point winning draw at home to Clifton Village II. Yet again it was Robin Maxwell who took centre stage, striking his fifth century of the season and passing 800 runs in the process.

His innings of 143 was not without chances, though, with Clifton passing up five catches and a missed stumping.

Chasing 287 to win, Clifton had a chance at the half way stage on 120-1 thanks to Nick Silverwood (78) and Matt Handley (54). However it was the spin pairing of Jamie Braybrook (5-63) and Adam Scott (2-56) that applied the brakes. Wickets then fell regularly with Clifton ending on 209-8.

Keyworth will not give up hope of avoiding the drop just yet, climbing off the bottom with a second successive victory. Visitors Ellerslie posted 189 with Ian Graham grabbing five wickets. Graham then top scored with 65, yet it was Tony Newby (53*) who steered the winners home, despite five victims for the division's leading wicket taker, Husnain Riaz.

The promotion race in C took more turns with defeats for West Bridgfordians and Kirkby Portland. The former will have been disappointed with 163 at home to Plumtree II after being given such a good start by skipper Jon Sheard (68). The score proved insufficient as Charlie Kingsbury (55) and Steve James (49) saw the visitors home.

Kirkby Portland (146) also came second best at Bottesford (202) which left the way clear for Collingham to return to the top. David Pipes struck 101 and David Coote Jnr 54 in a total of 247. Visitors Attenborough survived reasonably comfortably for the losing draw on 194-6, thanks to Tom Buckel (74) and Ian Baddeley (60).

Down at the bottom, Hickling gained a priceless victory at home to Bramcote. Matt Harby (79) was making the chase for 186 look easy, yet his dismissal with ten overs remaining brought some nerves with victory coming in the final over.

In D, there was a shock for Gedling Colliery II who were completely outplayed by their closest challengers Fiskerton. The winners posted 223 thanks to James Brown (52), Richard Robson (56) and Mark Fish (42). Then it was the turn of Richard Drinkwater (3-18) and Kevin Rees (3-20) to wrap up a comprehensive 126-run win.

Two other promotion contenders, Wilsons and Long Whatton met at Regatta Way and the home side, chasing 122, made a fantastic recovery from 30-6 to tie the score with two wickets intact, only for Mark Lester (4-29) to take the wickets with the score on 122.

It was definitely a day for the bowlers with Nadeem Ghani (6-38) starring for the home side.

It was a bad day for Hucknall II (90) who were comprehensively beaten at Caythorpe III (186) with Matt Daffin (73) and John Kneale (50 and 3-15) showing up well.

Farndon have slid down the table alarmingly in recent weeks, however, their batsmen made a timely return to form with Daniel Hubbard, Andrew Duckmanton and Mark Townrow all striking 50s in their thrashing of Stanton-by-Dale (139).

There is no change at the top in F with Ellerslie II and Eastwood II pulling away from Wymeswold, who came a cropper at Kirkby Portland II.

Ellerslie had Raees Tariq firing a century in a close-fought 16-run success at home to Long Eaton II (203), while Eastwood's 14-year-old Ryan Buckley (56*) continued his fine season in the eight-wicket win at Calverton II (139).

Elsewhere in F, congratulations go to Notts Unity II who recorded their first win of the season at the 13th attempt. It was in some style too, dismissing Oxton for just 92 with young Usman Aziz grabbing three wickets.

Nick Land (51) ensured there were no alarms in the chase.

Gedling & Sherwood II's promotion push in G suffered another setback with a heavy defeat at home to East Leake (184), Rob Grant snaffling six victims in an 81-run success.

At the other end of the table, not even a first senior 50 for James Cousins, 15, could halt Collingham II sliding to a 15-run defeat at Epperstone (180).