Lincolnshire ECB Premier League - August 24th

A six off the final ball of the match kept Sleaford in fourth place in the Lincolnshire ECB Premier League while second placed Bourne kept up this season’s reputation for close finishes with a two wicket win over Louth.

Matthew Wing was the batsman who hit the six after Market Deeping had set a challenging total of 251 for nine, Josh Smith leading the way with 124.  Smith put on 46 with fellow opener Keiran Judd and 69 for the third wicket with Connor Gillett. 

Smith was fifth man out with the score on 217, bowled by Dakota Rogers who finished with five for 56.  Rogers then opened the batting with Aayush Patel, their opening partnership yielding 83.  Rogers went for 53 after he and Chamara Kapugedara had added 81 and the Sri Lankan went on to make 72.   At 224 for three, Sleaford were looking comfortable but this became 229 for five.  Wing lost another partner on 245 with the overs running out and with just one ball in the innings remaining, four were still required for victory.  However, Wing proved equal to the task and launched a six to win the game.

Bourne were set a lower target at Abbey Lawn as Louth’s good start stalled in the later stages.  Laurence Scott and Andrew White shared an opening stand of 110 but the introduction of Ben Stroud to the attack slowed the run rate and brought the wicket of White for 40. With 29 runs added, 16 year old Henry Brewster, making his debut in the ECB Premier League, dismissed Richard Bell then took the valuable wicket of Scott for 66 to make it 146 for three.  

Primosh Perera pushed the score on but lost partners at regular intervals before being out for 36 with the score on 215 for nine and only one more run was added before the final wicket fell to Stroud who finished with four while Steve Crossley took four catches behind the stumps.

Stroud and Sam Evison got Bourne off to a steady start with an opening stand of 40 and when Stroud was out for 25 with the score on 91 for three, Crossley came to the crease, only to lose two partners to Tom Ryder with just 21 runs added. 

Ben Keast then joined the wicketkeeper in a 56 partnership but when Crossley was bowled for 60, Bourne were still some way from victory on 177 for seven.  However, Dan Bandaranaike and Matthew Kidd dug in and by the time Bandaranaike was out, Bourne needed only seven runs for victory and Colin Cheer and Kidd with an unbeaten 20 saw them home.

Lindum’s Ben Rolfs was the hero of a high scoring game at Scunthorpe after the home side had reduced the Lincoln side to 13 for three, Nathan Jones talking all three wickets.

Rolfs and Charlie Tomlinson put on 133 and when Tomlinson was run out for 50 – again by Jones – Will Taylor joined Rolfs in a stand of 99.  Taylor was out for 53 and at the end of 50 overs Rolfs was unbeaten on 107 and Lindum were 251 for five, Jones with three for 13 off five overs.

Scunthorpe got off to a much better start and had 61 on the board when Jake Benson dismissed both openers in quick succession.  This brought Ian Snowden to the crease and after Benson took his third wicket on 71, 16 year old Josh Knapton joined Snowden to add 87.

But Snowden became Rolfs first victim for 63 and when Knapton followed for 37 with only five runs added, remaining batsmen struggled to contain the Australian’s bowling and the final wicket fell on 221, Rolfs finishing with seven for 32 off 11 overs and Richard Bishop making four dismissals behind the stumps.

Bracebridge Heath stay in third place in the league, one point ahead of Sleaford with a game in hand after inflicting a heavy defeat on Boston. 

Boston elected to bat but having lost their first wicket on 26 saw Alex Moor take four of the next five to leave the score on 56 for six.  This became 74 for nine but a late flurry from Paul Deans and Tom Baxter took them to 101 before the final wicket fell, Moor finishing with six for 30 off 14 overs.

Bracebridge had 30 on the board when the first wicket went but lost three more before Kit Spence and new recruit 15 year old Aj Cook took them to victory.

Results

Market Deeping 251-9 (Smith 124, Rogers 5-56), Sleaford 254-6 (Rogers 53, Kapugedara 72);

Louth 216 (Scott 66), Bourne 217-8 (Crossley 60);

Lindum 251-5 (Tomlinson 50, Taylor 53, Rolfs 107 not out), Scunthorpe Town 221(Snowden 63, Rolfs 7-32);

Boston 101 (A Moor 6-30), Bracebridge Heath 103-4;

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