Clifton, Ashbourne both land victories
CLIFTON and Ashbourne first teams both landed victories – the first of the season for the latter – in the weekend’s Derbyshire County Cricket League action.
For Clifton, it was a second win in a row after losing their first two matches and captain Josh Hewitt was back to oversee it after missing last week’s victory.
Clifton bowled Ilkeston Rutland out for 145 at Chapel Lane and battled past the target with six wickets down after a few alarms.
Eddie Donnelly, promoted to the firsts when Atta Ur Rehman fell ill on the day of the game, responded with his first five-wicket haul for the first team, having landed his first for the second team last year.
After an early wicket for Paul Allen, Ilkeston were going well at 80-1 when Allen bowled Dave Smit for 42 and wickets fell regularly after that.
“We kept pushing and managed to start turning it around,” said Hewitt.
“Paul Allen started to hit his areas and having Edd Wilson back to fitness gave us the consistency we needed at the other end.
“Donners (Donnelly) and Edd bowled exceptionally as a partnership, Eddie came away with his first five-wicket haul and I couldn’t be happier.
“It would be remiss of me not to mention our fielding. We took some great catches, had great energy and made some vital stops.
“Will Wilson took one of the best catches I have ever seen in amateur cricket at a key moment and gave us all a further lift.
“For us to have Ilkeston all out for 145 from where they were was a brilliant comeback.”
Clifton had an hour to bat before tea and were in good shape at 47-1 but they stumbled to 57-4 four overs after the restart.
“In fairness to the Ilkeston lads, they came out of the blocks much better than us, bowled good areas and kept the pressure on, so we really needed to try and take the sting out of the game,” said Hewitt.
“Myself and Mohsin Ali battled away a few tough overs and losing Mo to make it 72-5, I started to wonder if it was going to be our day or not.
“Jack Barker joined me at the crease and we just focused on batting time and setting small targets along the way.”
Hewitt was out for a top score of 25 but Barker stayed for 16 not out and Allen came in to finish the job with some lusty blows, his 18 not out coming from eight balls with two fours and a six.
“It was brilliant to see the reaction it got from every player,” said Hewitt.
“It was good to get the win, but more importantly good to see the mentality shift from what had been a difficult start the to season.
“When we’re good we’re good but we acknowledge that when things aren’t going our way,
which happens so many times in cricket, that’s when we need to dig in and not let the game get away from us.”
ASHBOURNE came back from a sticky start at home to Mugginton to record a moraleboosting 94-run win.
They were 37-4 and 66-5 after being put in but it was Asher Alam’s day, as he then scored his first century for the club.
He first put on 60 with captain Charith De Silva, who made 14, then his brother Sahir Alam added a quick 14 before Asher and Mohammed Haroon got on top of the bowling with an unbroken partnership of 88 to close the innings.
Alam finished on 116 not out from 105 balls, with 13 fours and four sixes, while Haroon hit 46 not out from 38 balls, with four sixes.
Mugginton started slowly. De Silva bowling economically without reward, but Arsherr Fernando picked up three wickets, breaking the back of the chase.
Sahir Alam took a quick 3-19 as the visitors were bowled out for 138.
“Hopefully, this will give the team the confidence to put a run of victories together and climb up the table,” said Ashbourne chairman Marcus Bateman.
“It felt like the team clicked much better and it felt good to bat all of the overs for the first time this season and post a good score.”
BRAILSFORD found themselves chasing a daunting 295-6 posted by an experienced Alrewas seconds side in Division Three South and came up 83 runs short.
Alrewas captain Ollie Broadway top-scored with 62 and Josh Jones hit 60.
In reply, Adam Randall made 50 but no-one could stay with him and the innings closed on 212-9.
IN Division Four South, Wootton lost for the first time this season after Spondon thirds bowled them out for 127. Wootton managed to take six wickets in reply but Spondon reached the target in 30 overs.
Wootton seconds are top of Division Seven South after chasing down Brailsford seconds’ 177 all out.
Brailsford were in trouble when Wootton skipper Will Heathcote took four wickets in an over on his way to 5-29 but Alex Stubbs, with 47, and Peter Cartledge (35) helped them put up a decent score.
However, opener George Whitehurst scored his maiden League century, 117 not out from 87 balls, with 21 fours and a six as Wootton cruised home with three wickets down in 28 overs.
CLIFTON seconds were beaten by four wickets by Winshill seconds in Division Six South.
They lost Tom Hilton without a run on the board after choosing to bat and slipped to 50-4, despite 30 from Phil Marsh.
Michael Gerrard chipped in 28 but James Bakewell’s runa-ball 55, with 10 fours and a six, gave the score a better look and they closed on 158-9.
Kian Walwyn and Lucas Shirtcliffe both struck early blows in the reply but Muhammad Tayyab’s 54 from 40 balls proved decisive and
Scott Martin (29 not out) eased Winshill home despite Walwyn picking up two more wickets in his second spell for a return of 3-59.
Clifton thirds were also beaten, being bowled out for 100 by Tutbury thirds in Division Nine South West. Robin Shirtcliffe top-scored with 20.
Tutbury were made to work for a two-wicket win, reached in a frantic 18.4 overs, as Declan Walwyn took 3-14 and Alastair Pike and Simon Hellaby two wickets apiece.
ASHBOURNE seconds went down to Mickleover thirds in Division Nine South West.
Ed Hodgson scored 50 and Nick Pearson 33 as they put up 158-7 but Mickleover’s Cameron Lees hit 94 not out from 102 balls to hold his side’s reply together.
Liam Duffy took 4-16 in nine overs but Lees and Max Thomson put on an unbroken 67 to complete a five-wicket win.
Ashbourne thirds, in Division Nine Central South, earned a creditable draw at Abbotsholme School against Duffield fourths.
The visitors hit 248-2 from their 40 overs, Adam Burnham making 104.
Ashbourne were not in danger of losing it as they replied with 202-5, in which Andy Macdonald, Andy Hill and Brad Clowes all passed 30 and Deliya Wickramasinghe topscored with 46.