Ockbrook climb to second and win county T20 prize
was Ockbrook & Borrowash’s weekend in the Derbyshire Premier Division as they won to climb to second place in the table on Saturday, then won the county T20 finals day in style the next day.
Finals day at Marehay saw Ockbrook produce a sensational chase to beat Swarkestone by 10 wickets in the final.
With 41 each from Andre Bradford and Harvey Hosein, the Premier Division leaders had posted a useful 171-8, in which Joe Zydzienowski took 4-14.
But Arend Gagiano made mincemeat of the challenge, scoring 109 not out from 43 balls with 13 fours and six sixes. Mykylo Bird was no slouch alongside him, scoring 59 not out from 35 balls, with five fours and four sixes as they knocked off the target in only 13.1 overs.
Earlier, Ockbrook had successfully defended 174 all out in their semifinal against Spondon, Ethan Berlusconi scoring 40 and Charlie Birch-Mann 36.
Spondon fell 15 short, Gareth Young taking 4-21.
Swarkestone won their semi-final by 41 runs after setting Marehay 1976, Hosein scoring 61.
In the league, Ockbrook recovered from an indifferent start to record a comfortable win away to Denby.
At 120-4, their innings might have fallen away but Bird (61) and Gagiano (51) added 62 for the fifth wicket and Oscar Gaunt added a brilliant flourish at the end, smashing 37 not out from 11 balls with three sixes and three fours to lift them to 247-7.
With Young and Josh Lacey both taking 3-19, Denby’s reply lurched to 66-8 before 41 from Jack Richardson got them to the semi-respectability of 131 all out.
Swarkestone hit back after losing to Ticknall last week to beat Eckington comfortably.
Hosein hit 102 not out as the mainstay in a total of 255-8 and Eckington had nowhere to go from 49-5 in reply.
A late 57 from Lewis Staniforth got them to 209 all out but the damage had been done by Tommy Sturgess (4-36) and Ben Hutchinson (3-40).
Sandiacre Town’s title challenge was set back by an unexpected defeat at home to Marehay.
At 103-1, Sandiacre looked in good order but Scott McNeill (33) and Luke Thomas (56) fell in quick succession and the innings fell away to 199-9, Caleb Jasmat taking three wickets in his second spell.
At 90-6, with three of their top five having got out for one, Marehay did not seem to be coping well with the chase but Dan Birch was still there and he found the right support from Harry Wanford (38 not out) as the pair won the game from there withIT
out further loss, adding 114 for the fifth wicket.
Birch finished with 102 not out from 100 balls with 11 fours and four sixes.
Langley Mill are now bottom of the table after falling to their 10th straight defeat.
Paul Borrington’s dominant 142 from 127 balls, with 13 fours and six sixes, pointed Ticknall towards a big total and Tom Kent-Smith’s 42 not out from 17 balls, hitting five sixes, ensured it would be as they reached 306-6 at The Grange.
The Millers’ response was solid, with George Brandrick making 66, Samit Patel 50 and Rafay Ahmed 47 but they finished well short at 255.
Mehmoon Tariq nipped in with 3-40 towards the end of the innings.
Alfreton’s 291-6 was 48 too many for Alrewas.
A partnership of 94 between Matt New (67) and Ryan Bramwell (51 not out) was key to Alfreton’s innings, Jake Simpson adding 32, Muhammad Zaroob 40 and Tom New 35.
Alrewas were in the hunt at 149-3 in reply but Zaroob bowled Nick Kwant for 95 and blew away the lower order to take 5-70 from 12 overs, Alrewas finishing with 243 all out.
Spondon made a potentially tricky chase look comfortable at home to Alvaston & Boulton, where the visitors posted 248-9, Chris McIlroy making 52, Ahmed Raza 50 and Garry Park 46.
Jack Gorbert (4-61) and Chris Windmill (3-49) kept the score down somewhat and Spondon raced along in reply, Ollie Baum making 65, Alistair Dixon 50, Josh Brear 50 not out and Paul Edwards 43 not out.
There was an alarm when Justin Watson was out for a second-ball duck at 176-4 but Brear and Edwards could not be separated after that in a six-wicket win with nine overs to spare.