Big local derby for Towns at the Gate

Peterborough Town skipper David Clarke hopes victory in the ECB Club Championships will kick-start their Northants Premier Division team.

It will need to as a cock-ahoop Oundle Town team are the visitors to Bretton Gate on Saturday (11 am).

The men from Milton Road will pitch up in second place after back-to-back wins to take on a Town team smarting from a shock 12run reverse at the hands of Wollaston last weekend.

Town did bounce back to beat East Anglian Premier Division side Great Witchingham by seven wickets in the national competition 24 hours later.

"That game came at a good time for us,” Clarke said. “We were very sloppy at Wollaston where we bowled poorly, dropped some catches, fielded badly and played some loose shots,

"Wollaston’s overseas player batted well and then they fielded really well which was the difference between the teams.

"We played very well the following day though. Lewis Bruce and Nick Green bowled well and Josh Smith batted superbly.”

A last-wicket stand of 47 pushed Great Witchingham up to 169 all-out and, after losing a wicket to the first ball of their innings, Town eased home with three overs

to spare after opener Smith’s classy 74.

Smith also claimed three wickets as did fellow slow bowlers Bruce and Karanpal Singh as Town set up a home tie with Witham, also of the East Anglian Premier Division.

Smith returned figures of 6-49 in Wollaston’s 205 all out. The home side had been 33-3.

In reply Town kept losing wickets at inopportune times and once Clarke was eighth man out for 65 the city side

had to accept a narrow defeat that sees them in sixth place, 29 points behind leaders Finedon.

Oundle are just nine points off top spot after a 77run win at Desborough.

The hosts started well in pursuit of Oundle’s 283 and reached 128-1 before slipping to 206 all out as the Craig brothers Harrison (546) and Conor (3-31) shared eight wickets.

Harrison Craig (41 from 26 balls) had also hit useful late runs after a ton for

opener Mark Hodgson (111) and a run a ball 59 from closeseason signing Patrick Harrington.

"It looks like being a very competitive league this season” Clarke added.

"Oundle have certainly started well and have some dangerous players so I’m sure it will be a great game on Saturday.”

Peterborough Town seconds jumped off the bottom of Division One with a 24-run win over Stony Stratford at Bretton Gate last weekend.

Town defended a modest 152 helped by the second-ball dismissal of former firstclass star James Hildreth.

Hildreth, the scorer of 20,000 runs in all formats for Somerset, was smartly caught behind by Jai Venugopal off Nadir Haider for 1.

Hildreth has scored just seven runs in thee innings this season for his hometown club.

Haider finished with 4-36 to complement an outstanding 4-19 from Richard Kendall (11.2 overs).

Josh Smith on his way to 74 for Peterborough Town against Great Witchingham. Photo: David Lowndes.