Kwant on song again as Alrewas continue good start
NICK Kwant followed up last week’s century for Alrewas with another as they claimed a hard-fought 21-run win over Eckington.
The New Zealander is shaping up to be one of the stars of the season in the Derbyshire County League Premier Division and looks to be a real capture for the Herons.
After Eckington put them in, Alrewas lost both openers with six on the board but Kwant and Alex Scully (53) then added 125 for the third wicket.
When Scully was out, Stephen Cole, with 35, helped Kwant add another 72 and he had reached 107 from 92 balls with nine fours and five sixes when he was run out.
Josh Jones added a useful 36 not out from as many balls at the end to carry Alrewas to 288-8 from their 50 overs.
All seemed to be going well enough for the Herons when Eckington batted, wickets falling regularly until the home side were 108-5.
Then Cameron Gordon brought his side back into contention with an explosive knock of 102 not out from 76 balls, with six sixes and six fours.
Ben Foley’s crucial intervention, 4-49 from 11 overs, kept Eckington just far enough behind the clock, however, with no-one able to match Gordon’s pace at the other end and they closed on 267-9.
Alrewas are now sitting a healthy fifth in their first season in the top division and acquitting themselves well.
Meanwhile, their seconds are flying in Division Three South, topping the table with five wins from five.
They met Risley, who were also unbeaten, and took them apart by 113 runs.
Jamie Goodwin (61) and Tom Chapman (68) were the main contributors to their 236-7, then Chapman took 4-18 as Risley were skittled for 123.
A much-changed Ticknall side are still struggling to get going in the Premier Division this season and went down to their fourth defeat in five games at home to Ockbrook & Borrowash.
They were put in and although they reached 119-2, wickets began to tumble regularly.
Opener Will Hobson stuck around for 53 from 120 balls before he was fifth man out, Greg Cork added 42 and Jack Tolley 30 but spinner Josh Lacey took 5-53 as the innings ended with Lacey running out Tolley from the last ball and the score on 178.
The early wickets of former Ticknall opener Luke Harvey and Lacey, taken by Cork, had Ockbrook on 15-2 but from there Mykylo Bird (87 not out) and Ethan Berlusconi (54) took the game away from Ticknall in a stand of 103.
When Berlusconi departed, Josh Sharratt (21 not out) stayed with Bird and Ticknall’s defeat was wrapped up a ball short of 30 overs in.
Dunstall have the only remaining 100% record in Division One after Rolleston slipped up at home to Cutthorpe.
Dunstall made the long trip to Morton Colliery and, put in, lost the openers early.
However, Callum Brodrick hit a solid 72 from 98 balls, with six fours and three sixes, and got good support from Dan Welch, who made 55.
Michael Graves chipped in 24 not out with a couple of sixes at the end and they reached 218-9.
It was a decent but not formidable total but opening bowler George Martin soon made it look a lot better.
While Derbyshire’s George Scrimshaw bowled a wicketless six overs, Martin tucked in with 5-37 from 12 overs.
Tom Hill took 2-60 and Jamie Benstead, clearly enjoying his regular
bowling stints, polished Morton off with 3-18 from 4.1 overs, the home side were comfortably up with the scoring rate but well short at 140 all out from 33.1 overs.
Daryn Smit continued his fruitful season for Rolleston, making 66, but Rolleston otherwise struggled against Cutthorpe’s bowlers, having to settle for a modest 158-9.
It was a total which ensured Cutthorpe did not have to rush and they negotiated a good spell from Alex Brown, who took 2-19 from 12 overs.
Smit added 3-41 from his 12 but Hashen Ramanayake dug in to anchor Cutthorpe’s response, making 75 not out from 126 balls.
Rolleston were well in it when their visitors were 77-5 but Ramanayake and Max Webber (33) added 51 for the sixth wicket to tip the balance and Cutthorpe won it with 14 balls to spare.
There was relief at last for Lullington Park with their first win of the Division Two season.
Mohammad Ashraful and Paul Dawson took three wickets each as they skittled the other winless side, Darley Abbey, for 90 and although Ashraful was out for two, Tom Caron’s 52 not out ensured no great alarms in completing a sevenwicket win.
Tutbury were beaten by Quarndon, for whom Will Richardson made 99 in a total of 214, Karl Chadfield taking 4-34 and George Morgan 3-31.
Tutbury’s reply fell well short at 161, Sam Wesson top-scoring with 37 and Miles Hayhurst adding 36.