Swarkestone win easy but the chasers give up no points either
SWARKESTONE crushed Alvaston & Boulton by 189 runs to stay ahead in the Derbyshire Premier Division title race – but further wins for second and third-placed Sandiacre Town and Ockbrook & Borrowash ensured they cannot afford a slip-up.
Swarkestone posted a solid 233 all out at home to A&B, with Nafis Sheikh making 60 and Andre Bradford 44, while former Derbyshire spinner Hamid Qadri took 4-45.
But they could not have expected such a quick and easy ride to victory as A&B folded for 44 in 12 overs in reply.
The visitors’ two, three and four in the order, Chris Durham, Garry Park and Tom Knight were all part of previous Swarkestone title-winning teams but they were soon gone as the innings teetered to an awful 19-7.
Dave Jacobs’ late 18 doubled that but opening bowlers Ben Hutchinson (6-11) and Tommy Sturgess (4-33) finished the job.
Ockbrook had to work much harder to stay second, presented with the challenge of 296-5 set by Alfreton, in which Muhammad Zaroob hit 132 not out from 99 balls, with 13 fours and six sixes and Tom New added 70, while Charlie BirchMann took 4-62.
In reply, Luke Harvey (38) and Ethan Berlusconi (36) started with 57 and Josh Sharratt added 33 but Josh Lacey was again in fine form, hitting 90 from 74 balls with nine fours and four sixes.
Jacob Conners added a stirring 59 from 31 balls, with six sixes and although wickets fell, skipper Gareth Young steered his side over the line with two wickets and 2.1 overs to spare.
After bowling tightly to restrict Sandiacre to 188 all out Alrewas suffered a batting collapse to go down by 74 runs.
Although Nick Kwant made 41 and they reached 97-4, once Kwant was out the innings fell to 114 all out.
Sandiacre were missing Dan Wheeldon but Conor Marshall took 3-27 and Matt Newbold 3-13 to hurry the end.
The early-season threat of relegation is all but gone now for Ticknall after a comfortable win away to bottom club Marehay.
After Paul Borrington fell for a painstaking six from 51 balls, Tom Wood and Rahib Ali put on 114 for the second wicket, Wood making 83 from 105 balls.
Ali marshalled most of the rest of the innings to score 101 from 102 balls, with 12 fours and four sixes, and they put up a solid 246-7.
Greg Cork (2-23) and Ousman Khizer (2-17 from 12 overs) put Marehay’s chase under pressure at 47-5 and though James Kyte (30) and
Caleb Jasmat (31) added 50 for the sixth wicket it was a lost cause, which ended on 168.
Langley Mill’s dismal run of form continued as, choosing to bat, they slid to 38-5 at home to Eckington and were bowled out for 114, Nathan Musselwhite taking 5-39.
With Joe Bullimore racing to 62 from 38 balls in an opening stand of 72 with Marcus Hayes (23 not out) Eckington won by eight wickets in 19.5 overs.
Spondon’s batting failed to fire as it can away to Denby, Archie Harrison top-scoring with 56 in their 191-9.
Mitch Bradley then hit 78 and Shanuka Vithanawasam 65 not out as Denby eased to a six-wicket win with five overs to spare.
There were three Premier Cup quarter-finals on Sunday and, a day after being shot out for 44, A&B scored 272-5 away to Spondon.
Park made 89 not out, Knight 64 and Durham 41.
For the second time in the weekend, Spondon’s batting let them down as they were bowled out for 185, Jacobs and Matt Woolley taking three wickets each.
Ockbrook won a remarkable tie away to Ticknall.
The home side’s 200-7 in 40 overs in the Premier Cup quarter-finals, in which Borrington made 74, looked modest – but distinctly better when Ockbrook slumped to 27-5.
Conners, however, is making a habit of big-hitting late order knocks and he topped Saturday’s effort with 93 in 59 balls, with nine fours and six sixes, adding 102 with Birch-Mann (29). Matt Myers (26 not out) and Young (24 not out) completed a three-wicket win.
Vithanawasam added 61 to his weekend’s work as Denby set Sandiacre 208-8 and the title-chasers were shot out for 109, Jack Richardson taking 5-22.