LINCS ECB PREMIER: New leaders following Alford withdrawal

Ann Boulton looks at this week’s action...
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Cricket news.

The Lincs ECB Premier League was saddened by the sudden withdrawal of Alford, due to a lack of player numbers.

The league wished the club all the best with their future plans.

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Removal of points gained from Alford games led to several changes of position in the table, which was further altered by the weekend’s results.

Woodhall Spa benefitted by only losing five points from their rained off game against Alford and capitalised on this with victory over Scunthorpe Town to go two points clear at the top after Sleaford went down to Bourne in a high scoring game.

Batting first at Heslam Park, Woodhall were going well on 190 for five before Karanjit Bansal struck four times and Danny Cliffe took the wicket of Henry Wilson who had made 57, the final five wickets falling for just 14 runs and Bansal finishing with six for 29.

The second innings followed a similar pattern, Bansal hitting 66 and taking his side to 103 for three, only for Harsha Vithana and Tom Caswell to combine in the attack and take the last seven wickets for 29 runs as Scunthorpe were all out for 132.

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At Sleaford, Bourne were invited to bat and Jack Berry provided the anchor for an innings that reached 281 for nine off 50 overs.

Berry shared an opening stand of 102 with Jordan Temple and a second wicket partnership of 82 with Sam Evison.

Berry was fifth man out for 102 while for Sleaford Chamara Kapugedara took four wickets.

The home side batted steadily and when Oliver Burford and Matthew Wing joined forces, the score had reached 168 for four.

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This partnership gave Sleaford hopes of victory but the run rate proved too much and the innings closed on 266 for four, Burford unbeaten on 74 and Wing with 40.

Market Deeping continued their progress up the table in a low scoring but exciting game at Lindum who opted to bat, only to find themselves 39 for five.

Will Taylor and Max Bauer stopped the slide but when Bauer was out for 27 with the score on 89, the remaining wickets fell for 14 runs.

Sophie Munro then took a wicket in her first over and followed it up with two more to leave Deeping 17 for three, Charlie Tomlinson with two very sharp catches and Ben Rolfs took the fourth on 24.

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The score crept up gradually but wickets continued to fall until, on 55 for six, Sachithra Perera joined Matthew Rose to add 42.

Munro then dismissed Perera for 27 and it was left to Rose to take his side to a three wicket win.

Boston travelled to Grantham and after losing a wicket on nine saw Jonny Cheer and Sam Holland take the score to 101 before the second fell.

Cheer went on to make 84 and Adeesha Thilancha contributed 52 to the final total of 201 for five.

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Grantham got off to a better start and had 57 on the board when the first wicket fell but then struggled against the bowling as the next three wickets fell of 15 runs.

And wickets continued to fall regularly, the final one going on 131, Scott Elleray, Paul Deans and Thilanchana with three each.

Louth’s Seb Darke took a wicket in his first over at Bracebridge Heath but the home side then batted steadily to reach 200 before the final wicket fell in the 49 th over, Stuart Fraser-Cattanach making 55 and Tom Cuthbert taking four wickets for Louth.

Cuthbert was first out with the score on 16, quickly joined by Laurence Scott with only three runs added but Darke and Primosh Perera added 50 and when Perera was out, Jason Collinson joined Darke to take the score to 161.

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Darke went for 51 but only one more wicket fell before Collinson with 63 not out partnered Henry Tye to take Louth to victory.

Results: Lindum 103, Market Deeping 104-7; Woodhall Spa 204 (Wilson 57, Bansal 6-29) Scunthorpe Town 132 (Bansal 66); Bourne 281-9 (Berry 102), Sleaford 266-4 (Burford 74); Bracebridge Heath 200 (Fraser-Cattanach 55), Louth 203-5 (Darke 51, Collinson 63no); Boston 201-5 (Cheer 84, Thilanchana 52), Grantham 131.