Town enjoy a golden weekend of league and T20 Cup success

Cricket - City side lift a county cup for the third time in five years

It was another golden weekend for Peterborough Town as they lifted the Northants T20 Championship Cup a day after returning to the top of the Northants Premier Division.

Town overcame different tests against the same opposition as Desborough got within six runs of Town in their topflight 50-over clash on Saturday before crumbling to a nine-wicket reverse in a lopsided T20 final.

Town have a tricky Premier Division game at in-form Brigstock on Saturday before attention turns to the club second team on Sunday who will try to complete a quickfire T20 double by lifting the Northants T20 Cup on Finals Day at Wollaston.

Town’s reserve side are 30 points clear at the top of Northants Division Two after a 10-wicket romp against Isham and Wellingborough Indians last weekend.

Nadir Haider (4-31), Kyle Medcalf (66no) and Stuart Williams (51no) were the Town stars.

Scott Howard (97no) and Sulemain Saleem (71) rescued Town firsts from 66-4 with a 135-run fifth wicket stand in the Premier Division game at Desborough. Howard was recording his highest top-flight score.

Desborough launched a terrific counter attack of their own in the second half of their innings, but Town just about held their nerve with teenage leg-spinner Karanpal Singh (446) again impressing.

Singh (2-15) was excellent again in the T20 final as was fellow spinner Lewis Bruce (216), but both were overshadowed by wily campaigner Richard Kendall who returned outstanding figures of 4-17 which included a rare double wicket maiden.

Kendall was perhaps unlucky not to win the man-ofthe-match prize which went instead to classy opening batsman Josh Smith who was 66 not out when Town passed Desborough’s inadequate 114 with over five overs to spare.

Town now enter the National rounds which start on August 1.

Unbeaten Lincs Premier Division leaders Bourne were confronted with an all-star Market Deeping bowling attack at the Abbey Lawns last weekend, but the hosts still emerged victorious by 19 runs.

Deeping’s England T20 international Pat Brown was back at the club from Worcestershire for the day and linked up with Norwegian cap Hayatullah Niazi and deadly swing bowler Shahzad Amir.

Amir did best with 3-25 - Brown was economical, but wicketless - as Bourne slumped to 60-6 and 95-7, but Robert Dunn (53no) and Tom Dixon (43no) led a terrific recovery to 187-7.

That proved too many for Deeping despite a late flurry of sixes from Niazi.

Bourne are at Sleaford on Saturday when Deeping host second-placed Grantham at Outgang Road (11.30am).

Peterborough Town celebrate their Northants Championship T20 Final success.