Sandiacre off to the national final again
SANDIACRE Town will be up against Bath CC in the final of the ECB National Club Championship next month – 18 years after beating them by one run to lift the trophy for the first time.
The Longmoor Lane club also won the trophy in 2014, so will be chasing a remarkable hat-trick.
When they won in 2003, with a run out off the last ball of the match, the final was at Lord’s. When they won in 2014, it was at Bristol.
This time, the final is scheduled for Sunday, September 12, at the spectacular Wormsley ground, owned by Sir Paul Getty, near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.
John Jordison, the only current member of the Sandiacre first team to play in both the previous winning finals, again played a key role in their semi-final win on Sunday.
Bowling first after winning the toss away to South Northumberland CC, Sandiacre struck with only the second ball when Dan Wheeldon had Simon Birtwistle caught by Jake Needham.
With the score on three, Ryan McFadyean took the second wicket and though South Northumberland rallied somewhat, with remaining opener Solomon Bell making 64 and captain Adam Cragg scoring 58, their total of 183-8 looked distinctly gettable.
Jordison’s eight-over spell brought him 3-31, while Wheeldon finished with 3-28.
Chris McIlroy was out for nine when the reply had reached 37, James Chapman followed for 33 at 63-2 and Needham followed quickly for two.
But Scott McNeill was then joined by recent Derbyshire debutant Connor Marshall for a fourth-wicket stand of 103 which all but settled the match.
McNeill was out for 60 with only 10 more needed and Marshall got all of those to finish on 75 not out from 72 balls with eight fours.
The result topped off an excellent weekend for Sandiacre, who continued their pursuit of the Derbyshire County League Premier Division title with a big win over Langley Mill, piling up 306-6 after being put in.
Chapman made 82, Needham 72, McNeil 42 and Marshall 34 and the Millers were never in the hunt in reply, being bowled out for 164 despite a defiant run-a-ball 116 from Akhil Patel. Marshall took 4-30.
Sandiacre are 26 points behind leaders Ockbrook and Borrowash and 19 behind second-placed Ticknall with a game in hand.
Ockbrook squeezed to a vital onewicket win over Denby as they chased 196-9 at the Copper Yard.
They had looked all but finished on 148-7 when top scorer Mykylo Bird was out for 63 but injured Luke Harvey, who would normally bat in the top three, went in at number 10 after Miles Hayhurst eked out 12 and Gareth Young was on his way to 16.
The ninth wicket fell with seven needed but last man Sam Crocker only had to face one ball as Harvey hit 23 not out from 25 balls to get them over the line with seven balls to spare.