Their latest escapade condemned North Wheatley and Killamarsh to the drop and they did it the hardest way possible with a thrilling success over second placed Arnold by two wickets at Park Avenue. Batting first Arnold were quickly in trouble and wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as Andy Pick (4 for 14) and Stuart Hall (4 for 47) bowled superbly.

Only Australian Justin Foss with 35 propped the innings up as Arnold were bowled out for a disappointing 134, leaving Glapwell with what would have seemed an easy route to victory. However anyone who has seen this side play knows only too well that they do nothing by half-measures and they struggled desperately before reaching 135 with only two wickets to spare when the win was achieved.

Justin Foss (3 for 58) and Andy Rann (3 for 17) bowled extremely tidily and the Aussie must have wondered what he needed to do to finish on the winning side after such an impressive all round display. It was Glapwell’s courageous captain Phil Matthews who made the difference between the two sides with a marvellous unbeaten knock of 65 which ensured Glapwell will once again be playing in Division 1 next season.

Retford cemented their position as champions with a hard fought winning draw over Thoresby Colliery who have enjoyed a marvellous and much improved season after struggling for a few terms. They have reached the Tomlin Trophy final and averted any overtures with relegation this time around and credit is due to them.

Batting first Retford made an impressive 201 for 5 with Pascal Broadley (58) and Henderson Jordan (53) scoring most of the runs. Dave Evans bowled his usual steady line and length and was rewarded with figures of 3 for 57.

This score proved just too much for Thoresby who made a bold effort before closing on 183 for 7 with Daniel Nash scoring 50 and the prolific run machine Paul Hughes making 40. Pascal Broadley who has enjoyed a fabulous season with both bat and ball took 4 for 35 to complete another high class all round performance.

Cutthorpe moved up to second place with a convincing and rather easy nine wicket win over a badly outgunned Bolsover side at the Recreation Ground. Batting first Bolsover were immediately in trouble at 21 for 4 but rallied briefly with Marcus Hindle making a sturdy 32 out of an all out total of 149. Asadullah Butt (3 for 33) and Nigel Kingham (3 for 35) bowled superbly and fully deserved their rewards.

From the moment Chris Marples sent the first ball of the Cutthorpe innings crashing to the mid wicket fence, the tone was set and Andy Thompson (56 n.o.) and Nigel Kingham (58 n.o.) knocked off the runs in just 21 overs with neither batsman looking in the slightest trouble.

The highest scoring match of the day took place at Farnsfield where Mansfield Hosiery Mills ran up the massive 50 over total of 308 for 6. Dave Loveridge made an excellent 76 and other superb knocks came from Asela Jayasinghe (58) and Nolan McKenzie with a blistering 82. In the spate of this fearsome onslaught, Craig Collins bowled quite brilliantly for Farnsfield taking 3 for 101 in an unchanged spell of 25 overs.

Farnsfield made a good reply reaching 208 for 7 when time ran out on the teams. Paul Delaney (56) and a superb 94 by Dave Tilbury where the highlights of a good effort whilst Asela Jayasinghe (3 for 31) was the best of the Hosiery Mills attack.

North Wheatley are relegated after only one season in Division 1. After a promising start they have capitulated badly particularly their batting which has collapsed in spectacular style on numerous occasions. Batting first Cuckney reached a useful looking 214 for 5 with Aron Thomas making a brilliant 92 and he received great support from youngster Yasaf Tariq who made an unbeaten 38.

This score proved to be far too many for Wheatley and only Wayne Ellis (35) made any progress against slow left armer Bavish Patel who took 7 for 31 in a magnificent spell which saw them dismissed for just 130 runs.

Joining North Wheatley back in Division 2 after two seasons are Killamarsh and this can be blamed on to a ridiculous indiscretion which cost them a twelve point penalty and a dramatic collapse from half way through the season when they were well placed. The final nail in their coffin came on Saturday when they were steamrolled over by neighbours Kiveton Park by 106 runs in emphatic style.

Batting first Kiveton ran up a daunting total of 221 for 9 with Richard Grainger top scoring on 69 and receiving good support from Andy Marsh (35) and skipper Rob Coxon (33). Dave Barton (4 for 59) bowled his usual accurate spell for Killamarsh and his reward was well earned.

In reply Killamarsh simply caved in as Jamie Radford produced a magnificent spell of bowling to take 7 for 55 as they were bowled out for just 115. It is a sad end to a season that had promised so much and when you consider that they had a win over Cutthorpe under their belts it makes things incredibly hard to understand how they have got themselves relegated.

Worksop claimed the Division 2 title after just one season in the Division and will look forward to life back in the top section in the league’s centenary year of 2004. They completely demolished Everton by eight wickets without even breaking sweat at Central Avenue and like Retford in Division 1 will go through the season unbeaten if they avoid defeat against Blyth at home next Saturday.

Batting first Everton were put to the sword by Paul Burton who captured 5 for 21 as they were dismissed for just 95 runs. This target proved simple as Jamil Hassan blasted an unbeaten 36 as Worksop roared to their eleventh maximum points haul of the season.

Joining them in Division 1 will be Edwinstowe who clinched their promotion with a strange win over bottom club Ashover. Batting first and knowing they needed points badly it is difficult to comprehend why Ashover could only come up with a score of 89 for 8 in their 46 overs. If they had been all out for 90 surely it would have been better, but it looked as though they thought they were already goners and decided just to make things as awkward as possible for Edwinstowe. Ian Smith was the best of the Edwinstowe attack taking 3 for 24 in a fine spell of bowling.

As it was a few more runs might have given them an improbable victory as Edwinstowe struggled terribly to knock off this meagre total reaching 90 for 6 before securing victory. Roger Bolstridge with 4 for 51 gave his usual lion hearted display with the ball, and one wonders what he might have achieved if his batsmen had given him more to bowl at. As it was this defeat administered the coup de grace and Ashover will be playing in Division 3 next season.

Marshalls looked to be sailing into Division 1 in the early part of the season, but an horrendous patch virtually blew their hopes away in the mid-term. They have come back strongly at the death but probably needed the season to be five matches longer to have achieved their goal. Their latest victory however was a very hard fought one against Blyth who have struggled against relegation for most of the season but their obvious class saw them rise above it in the end.

Batting first Blyth could only manage 139 and that was mainly due to a superb 57 by Greg Willcox. Gary Andrews (4 for 19) and Steve Ogden (3 for 15) did the business for Marshalls with the ball and this total looked well in touch for the good batting line-up which the Gainsborough side have at their disposal.

It was not to be however as Richard Wild (5 for 45) got amongst them early on, and only a face saving knock from Matt Housham (43) who is better known for his bowling exploits pulled them through as they reached 143 for 7.

Whitwell were sailing away quite comfortably at 87 for 0 and were then bowled out for just 127 against Anston. South African Michael Alexander (35) and Alan Draycott (50) provided the bulk of the runs and Gary Tweed (5 for 17) and Ian Barley (4 for 46) bowled with great control as a potential large score turned into a rather meagre one.

This score proved to be enough though as Anston were all back inside for just 106. Only John Lyne (34 n.o.) prevented a complete rout as Nathan Morris bowled superbly to take 8 for 36 in a fine match winning stint of medium pace bowling.

Biwater Clay Cross have come unstuck in the latter half of the season after a mid term run that saw them in with an outside chance of promotion at one time. Batting first in their match against N.S.K. they made a good 215 for 6 with Martin Leatherday (49) and Ian Bettney (66 n.o.) both batting extremely well. Jurgen Van den Merwe (3 for 27) bowled well but the pitch looked to be a beauty to bat on.

And so it proved as N.S.K. sailed past this target only losing a couple of wickets in the process. Jurgen Van den Merwe completed a high class all round performance making 92 not out and Pete Lambert (65) and Ian Sellars (46) added just the right support that was needed as the Newark side reached a rather impressive 219 for 2 to gain an eight wicket win.

Pilsley gained a winning draw in their middle of the table clash at Barlow Hill and in their 213 for 7 Pakistani star Faisel Khan hit a superb 133 to complete his second century for the club. Simon Emson bowled extremely well for Eckington taking 3 for 101 as the pressure mounted.

Eckington never looked like gaining a win but batted well enough to reach 163 for 7 with Mark Bridgeman (45) and Andrew Lee (32 n.o.) both performing well. Faizel Khan (3 for 17) added to his contribution with the bat with some excellent returns with the ball.