Ticknall come up short in Ockbrook run chase
TICKNALL were unable to chase a modest target of 179 as they lost for the first time this season in the Beechwood Mazda Derbyshire Premier Division.
Ockbrook & Borrowash triumphed by 41 runs in a battle between two sides who had won their opening two fixtures.
When Paul Borrington won the toss and put Ockbrook in, there was early joy as former Ticknall favourite Luke Harvey was out to Derbyshire’s Alex Hughes for two.
Ockbrook responded through Mykylo Bird (53) and Josh Lacey (38) who added 79 runs for the second wicket.
Sam Trotman accounted for both on his way to 3-43 but Ethan Berlusconi (41) and Luke Baddeley (24) got Ockbrook up to 179-6 and it was clear batting would not be easy.
Ticknall’s former Ockbrook opener Rahib Ali went for seven and Hughes for six, scored with the one blow, to reduce the reply to 19-2.
Greg Cork stayed with Borrington (34) for a while but both were out with the score on 56 and wickets tumbled regularly from there.
Gareth Young and Jacob Conners took three wickets each and Ticknall were reeling on 77-8 before Matt Smyth (29) and Jack Gorbert (16) took them as far as the 44th over before they were all out for 131.
In Division One, Rolleston are among three clubs to have won their first three games and they made short work of Ilkeston Rutland, bowling them out for 88.
The wickets were shared around, with opening pair Graham Dent and Alex Brown taking two each before Ben Liversage and Niall Dawkins followed up with three each.
Richard Green and Danial Zaheer went cheaply in the reply but Gareth Marshall (21 not out) could not be shifted and captain Tom Liversage hurried his side to an eight-wicket win, his 46 not out from 30 balls including 10 fours.
Dunstall recorded their first win of the season, by six wickets, after bowling out home side Clifton for 123.
Former England batsman Usman Afzaal was the only one to hold them up for long as he made 41 from 87 balls but George Martin and Tom Bunting took three wickets each for Dunstall, there were two for Dan Featherstone and one each for Jamie Benstead and Reeve Evitts.
Benstead, typically, anchored Dunstall’s reply and by the time he was out for 45 they were closing in on victory, which was achieved with captain Dan Welch on 31 not out.
Alrewas collected a hard-fought three-wicket win away to Duffield.
Tim Williscroft (36) and Paul Bakel (58) started with a stand of 63 for the home side and the innings reached 128-2 before Bakel’s dismissal led to it falling away in the face of a fine spell from Billy Hodgkinson, who took 6-23 from 12 overs.
Duffield were all out for 173 in the penultimate over and then the Alrewas reply hit trouble, slipping to
25-4 as Will Hodson took 3-28.
Wicketkeeper Alex Scully and Matt Frend changed the picture with a stand of 110 for the fifth wicket.
Frend went for 42 at 135 and there was still a bit to do when Scully was out for 77 on 159 but Sam van Daesdonk hit a four and a six in 12 not out to see his side over the line.
Lullington Park slipped to their second defeat of the season after setting Wirksworth & Middleton a target of 171 all out.
Paul Dawson (63) and Will Arnold (35) put on 88 for the first wicket but Michael Wright (3-44) got both and Lullington struggled from there as Harsha Vithana and Jack Allen took three wickets each.
An early wicket each for Faren Price and James Whiteland raised Lullington hopes but, from 15-2, Wirksworth did not lose another wicket as Vithana raced to an impressive 100 not out from 92 balls with 15 fours and a six.
Jack Ritchie stayed with him for 47 not out and defeat came in the 34th over.
In Division Two, Trentside lost a low-scoring game by 13 runs away to Quarndon, who made only 121, with Hummy Sharif and Freddie Shreeve taking four wickets each.
Trentside were shot out for 108, Shreeve making 40.