The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Six of the best for Town ahead of a big weekend
Peterborough Town warmed up for a key weekend by moving joint-top of the Northants Premier Division table.
The city side host fierce rivals Old Northampronians in another top-flight match at Bretton Gate on Saturday (11am) and then start their ECB National Club Championship campaign at home to Hertfordshire Premier League club Hertford on Sunday (11am).
The ECB Club Championship i s a 40-over contest with Town keen to go better than last season’s run to the area final where they were controversially beaten by a Cambridge side strengthened by players from other clubs.
Town couldn’t approach a big weekend in a much better frame of mind. Six competitive matches in the Northants League and Rutland League have delivered six wins, although they had to overcome early problems on a tough track to beat Northants rivals Brigstock last weekend.
Town were 99-6 before a stubborn lower order led by Scott Howard (32) steered them to 177 and that proved more than enough for the reigning champions to join newcomers Kislingbury Temperance at the top of the table.
Seamers Danny Mohammed, who spent last season playing professionally for Brigstock before returning home, and Jamie Smith soon reduced the hosts to 37-7 before they were dismissed for a paltry total of 60. Mohammed
finished with 4-27 and Smith picked up 3-14.
The win was achieved without star seamer Mark Edwards who should have recovered from illness to play in a full strength Town side this weekend.
It was a more straightforward win for Town’s Rutland Division One side who cruised to an eight-wicket success at Burghley Park after being set
a target of just 143. Ben Woodward hit 77 of those Burghley runs.
Oundle lost their perfect record in the Northants Premier Division at Geddington, but Bourne and Wisbech have 100% records in the Lincs Premier Division and Cambs Division One respectively. Jonathan Cheer bagged his third straight half century for Bourne with an unbeaten 66 in an eight-wicket win at Lindum.
Market Deeping slumped to a third straight defeat at Grantham, but Spalding, who wrote their own chances off before a ball had been bowled, won by three wickets at Louth where Aussie Mitch Freeman cracked 63.
Bourne host Bracebridge Heath on Saturday (11.30am) before they travel to leading
East Anglian Premier Division side Swardeston for an ECB Club Championship contest on Sunday.
Wisbech won at Cambridge St Giles by 25 runs with Johnny Garner striking 83 of his side’s 280-9.
Ramsey got off the mark in Division One cantering to a 111-run win at Newmarket with Michael Cafferkey hitting 70.
Market Deeping are going much better in Rutland Division Two. They completed a hat-trick of wins with a 60run win at Ufford Park which was built on the broad bat of James Hook who struck 145 – 15 short of his career best – in his side’s 226-9.
In Rutland Division One Asim Butt blasted 110 from just 90 balls as Barnack hammered City CC by 178 runs.