Abbey Glass Division 1

Marehay 137-3 beat Staveley Welfare 134-9 by 7 wickets

This was Marehay’s seventh win and for those who say that they are a one man side it must be said that they did it without Arif Mehmood. He was playing but he didn’t feature in the bowling and he was out first ball for a duck. Staveley batted first and made slow progress in their 50 overs, with Martin Camm making 33 and John May 32. For Marehay John Longden took 3-14 and their batsmen dispelled any doubts about the quality of the pitch when Andy Walters (73) and Brian Caulton (30) put on 117 for the first wicket. Marehay remain top, but share the spot with West Hallam.

West Hallam 230-8 beat Belper Meadows 136 by 94 runs

The extra points gained because they batted first pushed West Hallam to the top. Their victory owed much to the batting of James Chapman (55), Wes Essex (32) and Lee Barrow (48). For Belper Gareth Goodall took 3-66. The innings of Dave Halliday (64) stood out in the Belper innings but there was little support, whilst for West hallam Lee Barrow took 3-29.

Spondon 123-1 beat Morton 122-9 by 9 wickets

Spondon are only nine points behind the leaders and are true contenders because there is a depth of talent in the club. They confined Morton to a very modest score, gained in very slow time. Geoff Deane was Morton’s top scorer with 35 and for Spondon Joe Ashdown performed well with bat and ball, taking 3-40 and then scoring 30 not out in partnership with Peter Davies who made 67 not out.

Shipley Hall 152 lost to Lullington Park 211-8 by 59 runs

This loss was a serious set-back for Shipley, but it doesn’t mean that they have dropped out of the title chase. The win will encourage Lullington who batted with assurance, with good knocks from David Hartley (47), David Adams (74) and Steven Gough (35 not out).. Gary Hickinbotham bowled effectively for Shipley, taking 3-23, but when they batted there was poor support for Mark Starr who was top scorer with 40.

Elvaston 211 drew with Selston Town 167-7

Selston Town will take some heart from this draw. They remain very much in the relegation zone but there was encouragement in their bowling, with John Barnett taking 4-26 and Duncan Green 4-34, and in their determination not to lose. In the Elvaston innings there were good knocks from Lee Archer (60), Richard Johnson (48) and Dave Watson (42) and for Selston Chris Dunn made 42 and Paul Appleby 35. Simon Thompson was the best of Elvaston’s bowlers, taking 3-29.

Abbey Glass Division 2

Ticknall 143 lost to Denby 2nds 144-7 by 3 wickets

This win strengthens Denby’s lead at the top of this Division, and is a disappointment for Ticknall who, nevertheless, remain in the lead of those eligible for promotion to Division 1. Sadly it was Ticknall’s batting which let them down. Luke Harvey (34) provided the only innings of note and the tail folded feebly. Ian Burgoyne took 3-42 and Lee Atkin (3-21) cashed in at the end with a hat-trick as Ticknall tumbled from 135-5 to 135 all out, five wickets fell for no runs.Atkin was again prominent in Denby’s innings, scoring 58 and with Burgoyne holding firm on 35 not out they forced their way to a win by three wickets.

Allestree 199-6 beat Sandiacre Town 2nds 156 by 43 runs

This was a good win for Allestree against one of the strongest sides. It was very much Ben Sarton’s match. With Paul Lynne (71) he scored 52 and when Sandiacre batted he took 5-49. Dave Gifford chipped in with 3-50.

Brailsford 145-9 lost to Rolleston 149-2 by 8 wickets

This win puts Rolleston effectively into second place and confirms Brailsford’s position near the bottom. James Dakin made 35 for them and for Rolleston Stan Mellor took 4-34. Simon Green (67) controlled Rolleston’s reply.

Duffield 123-3 beat Little Eaton 122 by 7 wickets

Duffield are only six points behind Rolleston and must fancy their chances. They have strengthened their side and some of their newcomers are performing regularly. Little Eaton, on the other hand, have lost key players and have not been able to replace them. Chris Elliott intervened crucially in the Long Eaton innings with impressive figures if 8-41, whilst Andy Jeffery registered 35 for Little Eaton. After Duffield lost three wickets Philip Jordan (31 not out) and Richard Stevenson (32 not out) took Duffield past their target.

Alfreton 103-2 beat Ockbrook 2nds 102 by 8 wickets

It has been rare to see Ockbrook reduced to such a low score, but credit to Tom Young (3-27) and Shaun Rooke (3-14), and when Rolleston batted to Matt Lineacre who was 44 not out.

Mickleover 229-6 beat Aston on Trent 227-5

An even game with plenty of runs. Aston batted first and their in-form players again produced the goods, Syed Faisal with 96 and Irfan Fazal 57. Chris Mottram made a hard hit 59 to take Mickleover into the lead. Tough luck on Aston after making such a high score, but one area where they must improve is their over rate. They had two points deducted for slow over rates; there is no longer any excuse for this.