Saturday August 28th 2021

A complete contrast in results yesterday as the 2nd XI and 3rd XI completed convincing wins (although the 2nd XI was technically classed as a winning draw) whilst the 1st XI and 4th XI succumbed to disappointing defeats.

Starting with the winners – the 3rd XI travelled to Whatton & Aslockton 1st XI in their final fixture of the 2021 season knowing that a win would secure them the runner up spot in Division F of the SNCL. The home side lost an early wicket and then recovered somewhat before skipper Chas Simkiss began his bowling stint. The wickets then fell rapidly with the remaining 8 wickets (sadly W&A could only field 10 players) falling for just 49 runs for an all out score of 81. Chas completed his second 5 wicket haul for the 3s with 5 for 16 and Lakshay Sharma polished off the tail with 2 wickets for no runs in just 5 balls. Tom Benton led the response completing his first 50 for the 3s with an unbeaten innings and the home side’s score was surpassed for the loss of only 2 wickets with plenty of overs to spare. Well done to Chas and the 3s on yet another fabulous season – their 4th top two finish in a row!

The 2nd XI were at Wollaton and dominated the game even after losing a very early wicket. Ben Sheppard, who made 47 to take him to within a whisker of 500 runs for the season, and Albert Gardiner put together a partnership of 90 and then Albert and Josh Wilson (37) put on 99 for the 4th wicket. Albert finished with a wonderful 109 which included 17 4s, his first century for the 2nd XI. The team ended up being bowled out for 309 runs off the very last ball of their allotted 48 overs. Wollaton’s response was always behind the required run rate and they were forced to settle for a losing draw, losing 5 wickets in making 218. Skipper Ali Lee and Matt Hill both picked up a couple of wickets. Next week sees the final game of the season for the 2s with the reverse fixture, again against Wollaton. A win or another winning draw would see them overtake local rivals Long Eaton in the league and move up to 6th in Division B.

The 1st XI took on Papplewick and Linby at The Strand in their penultimate game of the season. With Caythorpe in the second relegation spot just 2 points behind them in the NPL and with a game in hand (from which they are likely to gain a minimum of 2 points for a Covid related cancellation) and also playing against bottom side Mansfield Hosiery Mills, a win for the 1st XI looked almost a necessity. However, it wasn’t to be as they plummeted to a comprehensive 10 wicket defeat, the only saving grace was that Caythorpe also managed to lose their game by an almost equally sweeping 9 wickets. Batting first after winning the toss the 1s were looking to be on for a decent score at 85 for 1 before the wickets began to tumble. Suddenly at 135 for 6 a score of less than 150 looked a distinct possibility, before Arjun Sandhu with an excellent better than run-a-ball 36 (his highest 1st XI score) helped edge the team just past the 200 mark for the loss of 9 wickets. However, almost from the very first ball – a back foot defensive prod timed so well that it careered to the cover boundary – the result was in very little doubt. The visitors lost no wickets and completed their run chase pretty quickly in the 37th over with the only consolation meaning less time in the scorebox and more time at the beer festival.

The 4th XI were at Oxton for their final game of the season in Division H and also suffered a fairly resounding defeat. Batting first after winning the toss the home side amassed 292 for 7 from their 45 overs. Joe Gibson was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 59, his best return for the 4s, and Harjit Singh picked up a couple of wickets. The senior members of the team made the majority of the runs in the reply with skipper Sam Randall hitting 50 to take him past 500 runs for the season, David Harris 29 and Carl Knight 20. The innings closed as the team were dismissed for 141 in the 44th over.

Graham Shaw