Ticknall beat rain and A&B to close gap
TICKNALL, the only side in the Derbyshire County League to beat the rain, moved to only one point off the top of the Beechwood Mazda Premier Division.
They beat Alvaston & Boulton by 115 runs as they made the most of their efforts to get in a 25-over contest at The Grange.
Tom Wood and Paul Borrington both fell just short of centuries but the damage they inflicted was more than enough to see off A&B.
That was after A&B skipper Dave Tittershill put the home side in at the toss. It looked a reasonable option when Matt Woolley (2-38) had Rahib Ali caught behind by Chris Durham for 17 to make it 28-1.
But Wood and Borrington demolished their hopes by putting on a brisk 162 for the second wicket.
Wood struck three sixes and 11 fours to score 92 off only 65 deliveries but Borrington’s innings was even more eye-catching. He needed only 55 balls to make 96, with four sixes and nine fours.
It was small comfort to A&B that neither reached three figures as a total of 235-4 left a mountain to climb.
Early strikes from Ousman Khizer (2-26) and Matt Smyth (1-13) made that task even steeper at 12-2 and A&B were never in contention after that.
Ahmed Raza (27) and Daryll Walker (27) were the only batsmen to make any headway and the reply petered out on 120-8.
Jack Gorbert took 2-30 and there was one wicket each for Sam Trotman and Greg Cork in a crushing win for Ticknall, who now trail Ockbrook & Borrowash and Sandiacre Town by one point.