Ashbourne edge to a one-wicket win in a thriller
LAST pair Marcus Bateman and Charith De Silva scrambled a leg bye to lift Ashbourne to a vital win in Derbyshire County League Division Six South.
The one-wicket win over Allestree takes Ashbourne 26 points clear of the drop zone in the division.
And it was just as well they did win on Saturday because the team below them, Swarkestone thirds, won the next day against Draycott & Hanbury.
Allestree won the toss and chose to bat at the Rec and although they did not lose many wickets, Ashbourne did a reasonable job of containing them.
“Sahir Alam and Charith bowled really tightly and after 15 overs they were only 35-1,” said Bateman, the club chairman.
“It was Touseef Siddique who held their innings together. He didn’t offer many chances and went on to score a very good 107.
“Although they accelerated in the second half, we kept them to 225 – a score that I was confident we could chase down.”
Although Asher Alam was quickly into his stride in the reply, Ashbourne lost early wickets to tumble to 28-3.
Alam and Mohammed Haroon then added 51 before Alam was out for 54 from 37 balls, with 12 fours, but he was replaced by Aris Alam who carried the score to 166-4 with Haroon before he was out for 48, immediately followed by Sahir Alam.
“Then, hopes were fading but good contributions from Sasanka Ranatunga (12) and Pete Halls (20 on his first team debut) got us closer,” said Bateman.
Haroon went to a vital 61 from 72 balls and when Halls was ninth man out, the scores were level with last man De Silva going in.
“Nerves were jangling when he played around his first ball and nearly got bowled but he and I then scampered a legbye to win the game,” added Bateman.
IT continues to be one step forward and a couple back for Clifton’s first team in Division
One, as they slipped to another defeat.
This time, they conceded 319-8 to Chesterfield at Chapel Lane and it proved too many to chase.
David Hunt scored 73 and Alex Hibbert 67 for Chesterfield, while Atta Ur Rehman battled away for 4-48 and Craig Williamson took 3-68.
After two early wickets, Will Wilson (34) and Mehran Ibrahim (74) added 80 for the third wicket.
Wilson and Josh Hewitt both fell with the score on 91 but Ibrahim and Williamson (26) then added 55.
However, when Ibrahim was run out the game was all but up.
Rehman defiantly banged 51 from 34 balls but that only got Clifton to 223, 96 short.
The seconds are in the Division Six South relegation places after defeat to Etwall seconds, whose opener, Ashley Smith, hit 121 in a total of 250-5.
Harvey Clarke scored 60 and Jamie Longyear a defiant 52 not out in reply but with Etwall’s Robert Clarke taking 6-44, they were bowled out 60 short at 190.
Clifton thirds were within one hit of beating Division Nine South West promotion chasers Yoxall before having to settle for a draw.
Yoxall had put up 218-3, declaring with an over left, Charlie Mitchell having made 106.
They were almost made to regret giving Clifton that extra over as Laurence Tinsley continued his recent good form, being run out for 97 within sight of his first century for the club.
Wickets had fallen steadily at the other end and when Tinsley was seventh man out, Clifton needed 10 more to win.
They could not quite do it and closed on 214-8.
BRAILSFORD’S up and down season in Division Three South continued with a sevenwicket defeat away to Chellaston.
They could only muster a modest 167-8, Adam Randall top-scoring with 37, and the home side rushed to their target in 24.3 overs with Baalal Hussain unbeaten on 64.
Brailsford seconds ran up a useful 254-5 at home to Melbourne seconds, Peter Cartledge top-scoring with 55 not out and Richard Fletcher making 44 not out.
But Melbourne were more than equal to the chase, reaching the target with seven wickets down in 39.3 overs, despite Mohammad Shahid taking 3-34.
The thirds were unable to raise a side for their trip to play Lullington Park fourths, the only team below them in Division Nine South West.
WOOTTON’S hopes of breaking into the Division Four South promotion race were dented by defeat away to Ticknall seconds.
They put Ticknall in and watched them make 210-9, Will Whitehurst taking 5-32 from six overs to peg the innings back from 194-3.
In the reply, Peter Fielding was out early but Joe Johnson (41) and George Whitehurst raised hopes by putting on 71 to take the score to 80.
They were both out close together, though, and Wooton slipped to 119-5 before Will Whitehurst (26) and Will Tomlinson added 51 to raise hopes again.
However, opening bowler Will Orpin returned to finish the innings off and they were bowled out for 196.
The seconds enjoyed a home win over Ilkeston Rutland thirds in Division Seven South.
No details have been made available, but they kept Ilkeston to a manageable 175-6 and had no trouble knocking off the runs with four wickets down in only 19.5 overs.