Only two games were possible on the final day of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League programme but both brought about movement in the middle of the table.

Grimsby displaced Messingham, who lost at Caistor and now finish ninth, with Grimsby one above them following their victory over Lindum, who dropped a place to seventh and pushed Louth up into sixth. At Augusta Street, Grimsby finished their innings on 152 for nine, a total Lindum looked to be chasing comfortably until Jonathan Miller joined the attack to take six for 27 and help bowl the visitors out for 128.

Meanwhile Brigg Road was hosting a far more eventful match. Messingham batted first and were bowled out for 75 with Andy Foster taking seven for 50 and Caistor soon had the scores level on 75 for three. However, it took nine overs for the winning run to come, during which six wickets fell before the home side finally scraped home by just one wicket, Ali Arman taking five for eight for Messingham.

This result came too late to move Caistor out of the bottom two and they and Haxey must now wait for details of applications for promotion from the Lincolnshire County Cricket League and the South Lincolnshire and Border League. Applications received will be considered at the league meeting next Wednesday and recommendations put forward for ratification at the AGM in October.

Review for September 6/7

While games were being called off in all leagues throughout the county the county, the rain held off over Sleaford where the home side fought out an exciting Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League match with Grimsby – and at the same time guaranteed their survival at premier level. Batting first, Sleaford hit 175 for eight, five of these wickets falling to Michael Brown. Grimsby then looked to be coasting to victory on 134 for one, Richard Antcliffe making 57 and Neal Snell 58. But the visitors suffered a major collapse, Jonathan Miles taking two wickets in two balls and another four wickets falling to Stephen Bradford, which contributed to their final score of 169 all out with four balls of the innings to go. This gave Sleaford 18 points and puts them well above the bottom two while Grimsby dropped down a place.

But there was consolation for the Augusta Street side when they snatched the Winkworth Cup out of what appeared to be the firm grasp of Nettleham on the penultimate ball of the game, winning by just one wicket. Having been put in to bat, the Lincoln side reached 183 for eight after becoming bogged down mid-innings. After 23 overs Nettleham were 80 for three but only six runs came off the next seven before Ashique Rahman and Russ Binnington injected some pace into the game, Rahman reaching 50. Danny Cliffe took three wickets for Grimsby whose innings followed much the same pattern after Simon Grocott took two wickets in two balls with the score on 43 and went on to take four for 32 off his 10 overs. The 30th over saw Grimsby well behind the run rate on 78 for five but Michael Brown and Cliffe pushed the score along, Cliffe hitting 25 and Brown and 15 year old wicketkeeper Steve Crossley adding 25 for the eighth wicket. Brown made 46 before being run out in the 47th over with 17 runs still required and with five still needed off the final over, it was left to Jonathan Miller and Matthew Cocks to take Grimsby to a nail-biting victory with a ball to spare and leave Nettleham beaten finalists for the second year in succession. Brown crowned a successful weekend when his innings and his bowling performance of 10 overs, one for 39, earned him the Winkworth man of the match award.

Review for August 30/31

Bracebridge Heath need just four points from their last two Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League matches to be sure of their sixth championship in succession following a comprehensive victory over Bourne.

Mark Fell added 87 to his record run total while Paul and Rob Cook hit 81 and 70 respectively in their side’s innings of 292 for seven before bowling Bourne out for 107, Brett Houston taking four wickets.

Market Deeping failed to capitalise on their near neighbour’s defeat when they went down to second placed Woodhall Spa who were set a target of 225 - of which Jonathan Wright hit 86 - and won by seven wickets, Andrew Crooks and Conrad Louth hitting 56 and 57 respectively. This gave Bourne a reprieve in third place and Deeping in turn were allowed to hang on to fourth when Nettleham, the team below them, lost another high scoring match against Grimsby. Nettleham made 229 for eight, Matt Smith with 50, but Grimsby continued their recent improvement in form to score 230 for five, Richard Antcliffe hitting the day’s top total of 91 and Geoff Middleton finishing 70 not out.

The only movement was in mid-table where Lindum’s winning roll finally took them into the top six after a 20-point victory over Caistor who were bowled out for 153, thanks partly to the day’s best figures of seven for 45 from James Dewhurst. Lindum knocked this total off for the loss of five wickets.

Sleaford made themselves safer from relegation with a losing draw against Louth who finished on 246 for five, Matt Crowther making 86 while Nuwan Shiroman became the third batsman this season to top 700 runs with an innings of 63. Richard Tomlin then contributed 53 as the visitors then reached 171 for seven at the close. And bottom side Haxey found some batting form at Messingham where, chasing their hosts 241 for eight, they battled their way to 195 for seven to pick up nine points, Oliver Tonks with 57 and Simon Wild 51. Thirteen half centuries were scored in the six matches and, in addition to Dewhurst’s haul of seven, Jonathan Miller of Grimsby and Woodhall’s Dan Milgate both claimed five wickets.

***

Bracebridge Heath beat off the challenge of Lutterworth CC and West Indian Cavaliers to win the East Midlands final of the ECB’s new Premier League 20/20 competition. Late notification, which gave no time to arrange a county competition, led to Lincs ECB Premier clubs agreeing to nominate the current league champions to represent the league in the East Midlands. And Bracebridge repaid this faith by winning through to the next round which will see them play the winner of the West Midlands final which involves teams from the Birmingham, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire Leagues. Fittingly it was skipper Mark Fell who delivered the coup de grace that carried Bracebridge through.

The aim was for all three teams to play each other at Lutterworth CC and the home side were first up against the Lincolnshire representatives who made 170 for six off their 20 overs, Rob Cook top scoring with 40 off 26 balls while Fell hit 39 from 29. But with nine overs of the Lutterworth innings bowled and the score on 61 for four, rain stopped proceedings for the day and Lincs were awarded the tie on faster run rate. With no let-up in the weather, and a result required on the day, Lincs were then involved in a bowl out against Notts champions WI Cavaliers – five players, each bowling twice at the stumps.

After two had bowled, the scores were level on 2-2. Cavaliers went ahead but Paul Cook scored with both his efforts, leaving scores again level. The fifth Notts player missed, leaving Fell with the final two balls to bowl – and his first knocked off the bails to give his side victory.

The next match takes place at Bracebridge Heath on Sunday, September 14.

Review for August 23/24

Mark Fell smashed the league record for the most runs scored in a season when he hit his fifth century this year in Bracebridge Heath’s winning draw over Grimsby. Fell’s total now stands at 1100, 15 more than the 2003 total set by Indian player Dodda Ganesh, then playing for Owmby. And with three matches still to go, Fell is likely to set a target that could stand for an equal number of years. The Bracebridge skipper’s century helped the leaders to 293 for six, Vikram Atri hitting 77, but Grimsby put in one of their best performances of the season to finish their 50 overs on 246 for nine and claim 10 points, Michael Brown playing an excellent innings of 77 after earlier taking four of the home side’s wickets.

Jack Luffman went one run better than Fell to record the day’s highest score of 103 as second placed Woodhall Spa picked up 20 points against bottom team Haxey. Steve Scott contributed 92 and Conrad Louth 74 as Woodhall reached 354 for five. Dan Milgate then took five for 25 as Haxey were bowled out for 120.

One of the best games of the day was at Market Deeping where Bourne came out on top in a drawn match. The visitors finished their overs on 253 for nine, Will Clough making 57 and on 170 for one off 33 overs, Deeping looked set for victory. But when Jonathan Wright was dismissed for 80 and Charlie Hopkins returned to the attack to take four wickets, Deeping collapsed to 191 for seven and had to settle for a losing draw, ending on 235 for seven, John McDougall making 51.

Lindum picked up 20 points after Karanjit Bansal took five wickets and Matt Rutherford four to bowl Messingham out for 146. Bansal then hit 59 and Josh Brodie an unbeaten 52 as Lindum swept to a nine wicket win. But the Lincoln side’s progress into the top half of the table was blocked by Louth who also picked up 20 after bowling Nettleham out for 123 at Mulsanne Park, Nuwan Shiroman taking five wickets. The visitors then went on to win by seven wickets.

At the bottom of the table, Sleaford look to have made themselves safe from relegation after a narrow victory over 11^th placed Caistor at London Road. Batting first, Caistor made 196 for eight, Marc Watkins hitting 61 and Warren Nel taking five wickets. Nel then hit 79 as Sleaford finished on 198 for eight.

Review for August 16/17

Bracebridge increased their lead at the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League as both the leading two sides were involved in drawn games. The 2007 champions failed to bowl out Louth but came away with 16 points while second placed Woodhall Spa were on the losing end of a draw at Bourne and could only finish with six.

Caistor and Haxey now look doomed to finish at the bottom of the table after Sleaford picked up 17 points in a drawn game at Messingham. Haxey managed two points against Lindum but Caistor came away empty handed after going down to Nettleham by eight wickets at Brigg Road. Lindum made the biggest leap up the table, going from ninth to seventh and are now threatening Louth for a place in the top half but Grimsby’s slide continued when they went down by five wickets at home to Market Deeping.

Will Clough hit the day’s only century, making an unbeaten 115 and putting on a quick-fire 158 with David Christmas (56) as Bourne made 266 for six with Woodhall reaching 177 for seven in reply. Mark Fell’s innings of 77 brought his total to 998 runs for the season and as well as closing in on 1,000, the Bracebridge skipper is now within sight of the league individual record of 1085. Vikram Atri and Peter Morgan were also among the runs but Bracebridge were unable to bowl out Louth who finished 108 for six.

Sleaford’s recent improvement continued when they scored 200 for six at Northfield Road where Messingham struggled against the bowling of Stephen Bradford who took four for 12 off 17 overs as the home side were held to 110 for nine at the close. And Matt Rutherford was the only bowler to take five wickets as Haxey were bowled out for 124 chasing Lindum’s 220 for eight.

Review for August 9/10

No report as no matches were played due to abandonment through heavy rain.

Review for August 2/3

Bracebridge Heath extended their league at the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League when they took on Messingham at Northfield Road. Vikram Atri hit one of the day’s two centuries and Peter Morgan and Paul Cook passed the 50 mark as the leaders clocked up 310 for six, four of the wickets falling to 15 year old Ben Brumby. Messingham were then bowled out for 110 with Brett Houston taking five for 25. Aaron Onyon reached 49 wickets for the season as Woodhall Spa picked up 17 points at Grimsby. Onyon took six wickets but Geoff Middleton hit an unbeaten 75 and Michael Brown contributed 58 to take the home side to 215 for seven. Jack Luffman then hit 89 as Woodhall won by six wickets.

Bourne consolidated their position in third place, beating Louth by four wickets, Cliff Spinks taking five for 33 and Will Clough hitting 57. And Nettleham re-claimed fourth place after a seven wicket win over Haxey who were out for 90, Paul Cook taking six for 11 off 39 balls. This cut Haxey well adrift at the bottom as Caistor got the better of Market Deeping after Marc Watkins had hit the day’s highest score of 136 not out to take his side to 240 for seven. Deeping replied with 166 for eight, but slipped down to fifth in the table. Lindum and Sleaford shared the points at St Giles Avenue where the home side were all out for 173 but were unable to claim Sleaford’s final wicket as the visitors hung on to make 152 for nine. This pulled Lindum well clear of danger and only a fraction behind Grimsby.

Review for July 26/27

With seven weeks of the season to go, Bracebridge and Woodhall Spa continued to dominate the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League and the foot of the table also stayed the same. But it was all change once again in the middle after a day when bowlers dominated with six taking five or more wickets. At the top, Bracebridge beat bottom side Haxey by eight wickets - and Mark Fell took his season’s run total over the 900 mark - after bowling their guests out for 107. But at Woodhall Spa it was a much closer affair as Sleaford failed by just 11 runs to match their hosts’ total. Jack Luffman hit 74 and Warren Nel took six wickets as Woodhall were pinned back to 207 for nine. In reply, Nel made 59 and Aaron Onyon claimed five victims to take his total of wickets for the season to 43.

Sleaford’s seven points pulled them further away from danger as Caistor failed to make any headway out of the relegation zone, going down by eight wickets at Bourne. Mark Fotheringham hit 60 as Bourne chased down their target in less than 25 overs. This victory moved Bourne into third place above Market Deeping who could only manage a losing draw at home to Messingham. Nick Cowley was the day’s top wicket taker with seven, which helped restrict Messingham to 218, Jason Scheepers topping the weekend’s run total with 79. But Deeping were held to 155 for seven, Jonathan Wright with 62 as Messingham took the lion’s share of the points to move up to seventh. This climb up the table came at the expense of Grimsby who recovered from 89 for five to make 186 at home to Louth for whom James Brindle took five wickets. Graham West then made an unbeaten half century as Louth overtook that total for the loss of only three wickets.

The closest match of the day was at Nettleham where Lindum were all out for 194 - Paul Cook taking five or the wickets - and in turn bowled their opponents out for 186. Karanjit Bansal put in a man of the match performance with an innings of 51 and five wickets to pull Lindum further away from the bottom three.

Review for July 19/20

Bracebridge Heath tightened their stranglehold on top place in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League while at the other end of the table, Haxey slipped further behind as the two teams above them picked up valuable points. The leaders came away from Lindum with a 20 point win but challengers Woodhall Spa could pick up only 13 at Todmoor after failing to bowl out Louth in a rain-affected, low scoring game.

While Haxey were going down to Market Deeping by four wickets after being bowled out for 137, Caistor were claiming 20 points in a surprise win over Grimsby and Sleaford were taking 15 from a winning draw over Nettleham. Put in to bat on a damp day when the toss was quite crucial, Grimsby were bowled out for 91, Scott Indian taking four of the wickets and the Caistor side improving considerably in the catching department. The home side then lost only two wickets on their way to victory. A much higher scoring affair at Sleaford saw Warren Nel hit the day’s top individual total with 110 and Stephen Bradford make an unbeaten 85 to help their side to 223 for three. Nel then completed his man of the match performance with five for 34 as Nettleham finished on 192 for nine, hanging on to their last wicket do deny their opponents an outright win.

The highest team score and the only other century came at Messingham where Bourne wracked up 270 for six, Mark Fotheringham unbeaten on 106. But like Nettleham, Messingham hung for the draw despite the efforts of Charlie Hopkins who took five for 57. Aaron Onyon starred for Woodhall Spa, taking seven for 31 as, after several interruptions for rain, the home side finally ended their innings on 101 for eight. Andrew Crook then hit an unbeaten 63 to help Woodhall to a seven-wicket win. And it was also a bowler’s day at St Giles Avenue where Andy Carter took five for 37 to help dismiss Lindum for 93, a total Bracebridge overtook for the loss of two wickets. These results saw Market Deeping consolidate their third position, Bourne move up to fourth and Grimsby slip back down to seventh below Louth.

Review for July 12/13

Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League teams defied the weather to complete the full programme of weekend matches. Despite being held to a draw by Sleaford, Bracebridge Heath once again opened up the gap at the top after Woodhall failed to capitalise on their rivals’ dropped points by going down to Nettleham. But the most thrilling encounter, involving just 215 runs from two innings, was at Augusta Street where even early on Saturday the game had been in doubt. Messingham were the visitors and were bowled out for a meagre 108 with 17-year-old Michael Brown taking seven for 24. Grimsby gave chase but quickly found themselves 23 for three then 82 for eight and when the final wicket fell, the home team were one run short of their visitors’ total.

Woodhall were set a slightly higher total – but one that the title contenders would normally score with ease - after bowling Nettleham out for 148 at Jubilee Park. Woodhall too lost early wickets, four going for just 26 runs scored and from 88 for six were all out for 124. Bracebridge hit a massive 315 for two, Peter Morgan making 127, Jason Vero a quickfire 108 not out and Mark Fell passing the 800 run mark for the season with an innings of 74. But though Sleaford found runs hard to come by, they held out to make 139 for eight.

Nuwan Shiroman hit his second century of the season as Louth overcame Caistor by 118 runs. The Sri Lankan scored 122 and Mark Roberts made 65 of Louth’s total of 248 for four and the visitors were then bowled out for 130.

At Bourne, Haxey set off well and had 100 on the board for the loss of only one wicket, Tom Wraith hitting 55. But the introduction of Cliff Spinks to the attack saw wickets fall and the visitors were all out for 166, Spinks with five for 23. In reply, Chris Bamber hit 64, Ben Stroud 60 not out and Mark Fotheringham impressed his visiting Australian grandmother by seeing his side to a nine wicket win with two fours and three sixes off five balls. The three bottom sides, Sleaford, Caistor and Haxey, all picked up two points allowing Lindum to stretch the gap even wider with a 20 point win over Market Deeping. Karanjit Bansal, Matt Rutherford and Pierce Morley-Barnes all hit half centuries in the Lincoln side’s total of 279 for seven and Deeping were then bowled out for 100.

Review for July 5/6

Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League leaders Bracebridge Heath and Woodhall Spa were denied the chance to continue their battle for honours when their games at Nettleham and Caistor respectively were rained off. However, the remaining four matches were all completed following a reduction of overs with Grimsby benefiting most with a move up to fourth place after victory at Haxey. The home side made 153 for nine off their 42 overs, denying their visitors maximum points by hanging on to their last wicket, and Grimsby knocked off the runs for the loss of four wickets. Lower down the table, Danny Rands was the architect of Messingham’s victory, taking five for 46 as Louth reached 175-8 off 42 overs. Jason Scheepers then finished unbeaten on 61 to take the home side to a five-wicket win. Lindum increased the gap over the three teams below them by beating Bourne at St Giles Avenue in a match reduced to a total of 88 overs. Chris Bamber hit 66 for Bourne in their 152 for seven, while for Lindum, Karanjit Bansal claimed five for 28. An unbeaten 52 from Alex Hornsby then saw the home side to a five-wicket victory. Sleaford were on the wrong end of a losing draw at home to Market Deeping in a 48 over a side match, but picked up sufficient points to increase their lead over the bottom two very slightly. Tom Andrews hit 59 of Deeping’s 186 for seven, while Sleaford replied with 164 for eight.

Review for June 28/29

Woodhall Spa kept up their challenge at the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table, inflicting the first defeat of 2008 on leaders Bracebridge Heath in a high scoring game at Cross O’Cliff Court.

This had been billed as the match of the season and the two teams didn’t disappoint, Mark Fell hitting his fourth century of 2008, sharing a third wicket partnership of 115 with Vikram Atri (58) and helping his side to 260 for seven at the close. Fell’s 124 came off 150 balls and including nine fours and five sixes. But Woodhall were at full strength and Northampton player Andrew Crook eclipsed Fell with an unbeaten 143, ably supported by Conrad Louth with 81. This partnership put on 204 for Woodhall’s second wicket and Crook’s total was scored off 122 balls with 18 fours and two sixes as he took his side to seven wicket win with seven overs to spare. This result closed the gap at the top of the table to around three per cent but Woodhall still have a lot of work to do if they are to catch the five-times champions.

Market Deeping consolidated their third position with a win over Nettleham who were left chasing 163, Deeping’s final wicket falling in the last over. But after a steady start that saw them reach 92 for three, the home side collapsed to 119 all out, Michael Kearns taking four for 28 off 14 for the visitors.

The status quo was maintained at the bottom of the table as all four teams lost. Haxey suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Louth, for whom Nuwan Shiroman hit the day’s top score of 157 and 16 year old Rory Osmond made 58 as the home side finished on 253 for three. Haxey were then bowled out for 98. Caistor picked up six points at Messingham who overtook their opponents’ score of 202 for seven to win by five wickets, Ali Arman making an unbeaten 67 and Jason Scheepers 51. Sleaford stayed clear of the relegation zone despite going down to Bourne by four wickets, a win that moved Bourne up to fourth. A knock of 58 not out from skipper David Christmas rescued Bourne who found themselves 11 for two, then 50 for four chasing their hosts’ 152 for nine. And Lindum eased slightly further away from the three teams below them despite going down to Grimsby who are now sixth. Grimsby were bowled out for 175 but Matthew Cocks took five wickets as Lindum were defeated by 25 runs.

Review for June 21/22

As rain swept across the county, only two matches got under way in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League, both in the north. At Augusta Street, Sleaford bowled 15 overs off which Grimsby had scored 70 without loss before rain washed out proceedings. And at Caistor, the home side managed 18 overs against Haxey who were 90 for three when the game ended prematurely. All other games were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Review for June 14/15

Haxey celebrated their first win of the season in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League in a weekend that saw major changes at the bottom of the table. The league newcomers doubled their points score when they bowled Messingham out for 161 and went on to win by five wickets. This brings the bottom team within one percentage point of Caistor, who went down heavily at Lindum picking up only one point and, with Sleaford also picking up 20 in a surprisingly low scoring win over Louth, have been pushed down once again into the relegation zone.

Jonathan Miles took six for 42 to help bowl Louth out for 85 at London Road and the home side went on to a five wicket victory. Caistor meanwhile, could only reach 114 for eight at St Giles Avenue, a total Lindum knocked off for the loss of three wickets, Josh Brodie carrying his bat for an unbeaten 49.

At the top of the table, Andy Carter had a field day at Cross O’Cliff Court where Bracebridge Heath had been restricted to what was, for them, an uncharacteristically low total of 227, Vickram Atri making 71 and Paul Cook 60. Charlie Hopkins took six wickets for Bourne but was eclipsed by Carter who took eight for 67 as the visitors were bowled out for 143.

This helped the leaders draw away from challengers Woodhall Spa who hit the highest total of the day with 261 for seven, Jack Luffman reaching his century and Conrad Louth making 58. But Market Deeping were also on good batting form and held the second placed team to a draw, David Gillett and Tom Andrews each hitting 62 as Market Deeping ended on 219 for seven to pick up 10 points. This moved Deeping into third, overtaking Nettleham who went down to Grimsby in a low scoring game at Mulsanne Park. The home side were bowled out 122 and Grimsby then made hard work of overtaking this total, losing six wickets before claiming victory.

Review for June 7/8

Sleaford and Caistor shared the points in the only match played in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League. Lying in 11th place, one below their opponents, Sleaford opted to bat in a reduced over game at Brigg Road but on 11 for three must have wondered if this was the right decision. However, the middle order pulled the innings together, Stephen Bradford hitting 48 and wicketkeeper Adam Cossins 55 as the visitors’ 44 overs ended on 183 for nine. In reply, Caistor got off to an excellent start, Marc Watkins scoring 64 but the introduction of Bradford to the attack slowed the run rate and at the close the home side had to be content with 161 for five, Bradford with five for 36 off 14. This gave Caistor nine points to Sleaford’s 12, narrowing the gap between the two. Attempts were made to get all the other matches under way but in every case, the weather intervened.

Review for May 31/June 1

It took seven weeks, but Bracebridge Heath are finally back at the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table. The 2007 champions have Bourne to thank for pushing them above Woodhall Spa who were unable to overhaul Bourne’s seemingly modest total of 190 for eight. Mark Fotheringham hit 79 of these runs and Charlie Hopkins took four wickets as Woodhall were all out for 164. Bracebridge, meanwhile, were topping the 300 milestone once again as Mark Fell took his total of runs for the season past the 600 mark with an innings of 115 and Jason Vero made 96. Louth were left chasing 309 for eight, six of the wickets falling to Stewart West, but slumped to 111 all out, Andy Carter taking four wickets for Bracebridge. Nettleham hung on to third place after a winning draw at home to Caistor. Sam Hickingbotham hit 84 and Matt Smith 55 of Nettleham’s total of 250 for seven but the visitors batting is improving every week and Caistor had no trouble hanging on to make 209 for seven, Mark Gowshall and Scott Indian hitting half centuries. Breathing down Nettleham’s necks are Market Deeping who are now only a fraction off third place after bowling Grimsby out for 98 and going on to win by five wickets. At the foot of the table, Lindum pulled away from the bottom three after overtaking Haxey’s 178 for nine, Sanjaya Rodrigo making 84. Josh Brodie regained his batting form to hit an unbeaten 118 as Lindum won by nine wickets. But Messingham added to Sleaford’s woes as they notched up 200 for nine despite the efforts of Steve Bradford who took six for 49. Sleaford then collapsed to 93 all out and remain in the bottom two.

Review for bank holiday Monday May 26

Boston pulled off a shock result in the quarter-finals of the Winkworth Cup, the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League knock out competition. Invited in as last season’s demoted team, Boston defeated Messingham by 19 runs to win a place in the semi-finals on August 25. Having already defeated fellow South Lincolnshire & Border League team Oakham in the first round, Boston hit 291 for five at Northfield Road, Jonathan Cheer top scoring with an unbeaten 121 and Tim Taylor making 93. In reply, Chris Barner hit 83 and Ali Arman 71 not out but Messingham still fell short of the visitors’ total. Boston, who currently lead Division One of the South Lincs and Border League, will now take on Nettleham at Mulsanne Park after the Lincoln side beat Haxey by four wickets, Rob Cook taking five for 31 as the home side reached 167 for nine, then making 40 runs to help Nettleham to victory. In the second semi-final Woodhall Spa will play Grimsby at Jubilee Park after notching up 321 for six at Lindum, Andrew Crook hitting 167 and Conrad Louth 88. Lindum were then all out for 184. And at Owmby, Grimsby batted their way to 246 before bowling Louth out for 139.

Review for May 24/25

Six weeks into the season, the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League has already seen three new records – and Bracebridge Heath batsman Rob Cook has been involved in two of these. Two weeks ago, Cook set a new individual runs record when he hit 243. And at Caistor on Saturday, he shared a first wicket partnership of 257 with Mark Fell, adding seven runs to the record set in 2002 by Bourne’s Ashley Wright and Richard Howitt.

Cook scored 84 of Bracebridge Heath’s final total of 351 for five declared, while Fell notched up a massive 181 off 125 balls with 22 fours and seven sixes before being caught and bowled by Peter Briggs who took three wickets. This took the Bracebridge skipper past first the 400 then the 500 run mark for the season, bringing his total to 551. Stuart Airey then claimed five for 28 as Caistor, reduced to 10 men by an earlier injury, were all out for 128.

But despite this comprehensive victory, the league champions remain in second place as Woodhall Spa retained their 100 per cent record. Lindum were the latest team to fall under the wheels of the Woodhall bandwagon as Aaron Onyon took six for 35 to help reduce them to 107 all out, a total the visitors overtook for the loss of just one wicket, Andrew Crook hitting an unbeaten 74. Another six wicket haul came at Todmoor where Nuwan Shiroman followed up an innings for 119 not out with six for 46 to give Louth victory over Market Deeping and move them up to fourth place in the table. Louth finished on 236 for five as Shiroman carried his bat for his first sizeable score of the season but Deeping looked like threatening this total as Tom Andrews hit 85 and David Gillett 68 in another big partnership. Going into the final over, the visitors were still in with a chance but the final wicket fell with Deeping just nine short of victory.

Nettleham stayed in third place in another high scoring match at Messingham. Sam Hickingbotham hit 71 and Bangladeshi Ashique Rahman 64 as the visitors made 239 for four. Ali Arman, also from Bangladesh, then showed his batting form with 82 and Dave Dawson hit 53 but Messingham fell 28 runs short ending 211 all out. Oliver Burford hit 70 of Grimsby’s total of 192 for nine at Augusta Street and though early on in their innings Bourne looked liked threatening this total, the visitors were eventually bowled out for 137. Haxey went down to Sleaford but increased their percentage points as they batted their way to 186 for nine, Sanjay Rodrigo making 51 and Simon Wild falling one short of his half century. Sleaford made steady progress towards this total, reaching 132 for two but lost five more wickets before claiming their first victory of the season with 190 for seven.

Review for May 17/18

Woodhall Spa marched on at the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League, retaining their 100 per cent record, this time at the expense of Grimsby. Northamptonshire all-rounder Andrew Crook, a member at Woodhall for the past two years, gave a man of the match performance, taking six for 52 to help bowl out Grimsby for 180 after the visitors had earlier reached 113 for two. Oliver Burford made 60 of this total but Crook was also in good batting form, hitting 74 as Woodhall claimed a seven-wicket win. Caistor, meanwhile, were celebrating their first victory of the season in fine style after a superb bowling display from Andy Foster contributed to a Market Deeping collapse to 91 all out. Foster took six for 37 and Marc Watkins scored an unbeaten 71 to take the visitors to a six-wicket victory. This moved Caistor above Sleaford who could only hold out for a draw against Lindum after the Lincoln side had made 238 for eight at London Road, Richard Bishop top scoring with 69. Warren Nel then hit 55 as Sleaford finished their 50 overs on 126 for nine. League newcomers Haxey finally found some batting form at Nettleham where Rob Cook hit the day’s only century. Cook made 121 and Matt Smith 63 as the home side topped the 300 mark, finishing on 309 for five. But Haxey claimed a share of the points and stayed in touch with the teams above them as they reached 224 for nine at the close. Bracebridge Heath topped Nettleham’s score by just 10 runs, making 319 for four, Mark Fell with 92, Jason Vero 76, Rob Cook 67 and Paul Cook 50. But the league champions were almost denied maximum points as Messingham took their innings into the final over before losing their last wicket on 205, Stuart Airey claiming five for 52. The closest match of the day was at Abbey Lawn where Louth’s innings closed on 175 for eight, Matt Crowther scoring 54 and David Christmas taking five for 37. At the end of the penultimate over of the match, the home side still needed 12 for victory but Christmas hit a six and a four and Bourne got home to a two-wicket win with two balls to spare.

Review for May 10/11

A gulf of 340 runs separated the highest and lowest scores in the Readers Lincs ECB Premier League. Rob Cook set a new league individual record when he hit 243 of Bracebridge Heath’s total of 384 for three while Aaron Onyon’s haul of seven for 28 helped skittle Sleaford out for 44 – of which 24 were extras.

Cook took full advantage of the short boundary at Haxey, hitting 16 sixes which forced Haxey to station two people in the adjoining field to collect the ball! Cook also recorded 19 fours while skipper Mark Fell hit 111. In reply, Haxey began well, reaching 91 for one but inexperience at Premier League level led to some unwise shots from the middle and lower order and with only ten batsmen - Tom Wraith having departed to hospital with a broken hand early in the game - the home side were all out for 126.

Sleaford fell victim to an on-form Onyon who took both openers’ wickets and continued in the same vein as six of Sleaford’s line-up were out for ducks. However, the extras, which included 16 no balls, helped Sleaford to avoid the league record for lowest innings score. Woodhall then lost one wicket overtaking this modest total.

Messingham and Market Deeping kept up their tradition of high scoring matches, the home side notching up 240 for seven with Ian Dawson adding 76 to his ever-growing total. But Tom Andrews eclipsed this performance with an unbeaten 142 and with David Gillett (73no) took Deeping to a seven-wicket win.

Australian players were to the forefront at Caistor where Marc Watkins hit 84 of the home side’s total of 180 for eight. Bourne’s Mark Fotheringham then helped his side to a six wicket win with an unbeaten 55. And at Lindum, the home side were all out for 179 in the final over, Richard Bishop making 40 , Richard Cross 46 and Ashique Rahman taking four wickets for Nettleham. Sam Hickingbotham then hit 47 and Ashique and Matt O’Halloran shared a fifth wicket stand of 82 as the visitors claimed a three wicket win. Louth moved back up the table at the expense of Grimsby were set a reasonably modest total of 210 for eight of which Graham West hit 50. But Nuwan Shiroman’s six for 21 ensured victory as the visitors were all out for 154.

In the Winkworth Cup, the final game in the first round of the cup was completed on the evening of May 14. Bracebridge Heath and Lindum played a 20 overs-per-side game as their original one was rained off. The result was: Bracebridge Heath 150-9, Lindum 153-3.

Review for May 3/4/5

Woodhall Spa recorded their second 20-point win of the season in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League to stay top of the table with a 100 per cent record. Louth were the victims at Jubilee Park, being bowled out for 172 and it was young batsman Conrad Louth who hit the winning four, at the same time taking his own unbeaten score to 100.

Champions Bracebridge Heath also picked up 20 points after bowling Lindum out for 173 - of which Josh Brodie hit 96 - and going on to claim a nine wicket win with Mark Fell and Paul Cook among the runs, hitting 82no and 72 respectively. Bracebridge stay second while Market Deeping made it three wins out of three to climb into third after bowling newcomers Haxey out for 100, five wickets falling to Nick Cowley, and winning by eight wickets.

Richard Antcliffe recorded the highest score of the weekend hitting 120 of Grimsby’s total of 210 for four. Caistor then suffered another miserable result as they were bowled out for 76. For the second time in a week, Nettleham got the better of Sleaford, following up their cup win with a six wicket victory after restricting their opponents to 150 for seven. Phil Sneath hit 55 for Sleaford and Ashique Rahman an unbeaten 58 for the victors in this match. And Messingham’s score of 210 for six – in which Ian Dawson made 62 and Jason Scheepers 79 – proved too much for Bourne who, nevertheless, managed 180 for eight and a share of the points.

Top of the table Woodhall Spa crowned a successful Lincs ECB Premier League weekend with victory over Bourne in the first round of the Winkworth Cup on bank holiday Monday. Aaron Onyon took five for 25 to help bowl Bourne out for 119, a total Woodhall overtook for the loss of four wickets. Woodhall now play the winners of Bracebridge Heath v Lindum who are playing an evening game on May 14 following last month’s rained off fixture.

Grimsby notched up 292 for five off their 50 overs, Oliver Burford recovering from his long journey back from Lincolnshire county victory in Dorset to hit 153 and opening bowler Danny Cliffe coming in at five to make an unbeaten 63. Caistor’s batting showed improvement over their recent efforts but at the close the visitors had reached only 169 for four, Marc Watkins hitting an unbeaten 115.

Messingham celebrated a good league weekend with a seven-wicket win over Lindum in a re-arranged match. Alex Hornsby’s unbeaten 85 saw Lindum to 205 for seven, but Andy Langford hit 86 not out and Ian Dawson 54 to take Messingham to victory.

Review for April 26/27

Louth and Market Deeping continued their good start to the Readers Lincs ECB Premier League season, Louth adding to Caistor’s woes while Deeping scored a surprisingly comfortably victory over Lindum. Last season’s top two, Bracebridge Heath and Grimsby both topped the 200 run mark but both had to be content with winning draws.

For newcomers Haxey, runs were hard to come by in their first league match in the Readers Lincs ECB Premier League. Faced with an in-form Bourne side, the newcomers could only manage 133 runs off their 50 overs but hung on doggedly to deny their guests the final wicket. In reply, Bourne lost three wickets on their way to victory, Chris Bamber hitting 52. Nick Cowley made an unbeaten 69 and Michael Kearns took five wickets as Market Deeping beat Lindum by 42 runs. Having notched up 161 for six, the visitors then bowled their hosts out for 119.

The highest individual scores of the day came at Sleaford where Paul Cook hit 76 for Bracebridge Heath and Warren Nel matched this for the home side. The league champions made 230 for four with Mark Fell and Jason Vero also passing the half century mark – Vero’s 53 coming off 44 balls – but Nel guided Sleaford to the close on 152 for six to take a share of the points. Louth added another 18 points to their total with their outright win over Caistor despite a haul of six for 61 for Marc Watkins. This restricted Louth to 184 for nine but Jon Dixon replied with five for 34 to help bowl the home side out for 108. The closest game of the day was at Messingham where Grimsby reached 214 for nine off their 50 overs only to see their opponents chase their target hard and finish just 14 runs short on 195 for six.

Nettleham’s match against Woodhall Spa had to be called off after water seeped under the covers at Mulsanne Park following heavy rain, but on Sunday the expected rain held off for Nettleham’s Winkworth Cup match at Sleaford. This provided an exciting finish as the home side chased 174 for seven, a total the visitors reached after a slow start. Matt Smith provided the impetus to get the innings moving, hitting an unbeaten 61 and putting on 57 for the sixth wicket with David Manby (35). On 123 for three with 17 overs remaining, Sleaford looked to be heading for victory but two wickets in two balls for David Manby and one for Paul Cook made it 123 for six and from here Nettleham regained the upper hand. However, the lower order fought back and the team were only nine runs short of the total when the final wicket fell.

Review for April 19/20

Eight half centuries, one ton and five wicket hauls from five bowlers marked the start of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League 2008 programme as batsmen and bowlers defied the cold to produce some excellent performances. The recent rains claimed one victim when the only the game at Grimsby had to be called off, the waterlogged Augusta Street ground denying newcomers Haxey their first fixture in the top flight. Further south in the county, Bourne’s new Australian signing Mark Fotheringham made 101 in the highest scoring match of the day which saw the home side reach 271 for nine, Will Clough also starting his season well with 78. Tom Lane took five wickets for opponents Lindum and Josh Brodie started where he left off last year, hitting 86 in the visitors’ reply of 229 for seven wickets, five of which fell to Cliff Spinks. Only Woodhall Spa picked up the maximum 20 points, Australian Daniel Milgate taking five for 31 as Caistor were all out for 139. Jack Luffman and Ricky Lovelace then hit half centuries to take their side to a nine wicket win. Bracebridge Heath dropped a point in their 100 run victory over Nettleham who restricted the champions to 214 all out after Bracebridge had raced along at six runs an over for the first half of their innings thanks in part to Jason Vero who hit 88. A fine bowling spell from David Hutchinson produced five wickets but Nettleham’s batsmen found the going tough and were all out for 114. Sleaford denied Market Deeping full bowling points, finishing 159 for nine at Outgang Road but half centuries from David Gillett and Tom Andrews helped the home side to a seven wicket, 16 point win. And Louth also set off well, losing their last wicket on the final ball of the innings with the score on 183, Danny Rands claiming five for 31 and Graham West hitting 56. West then claimed five wicket-keeping dismissals but Messingham dug in, batting their 50 overs for 106 for nine to take an extra point from the game.

Having had their first taste of Premier League cricket postponed for 24 hours following the cancellation of Saturday’s league match, Haxey faced Market Deeping in the Winkworth Cup - and claimed victory in the closest of matches. After David Gillett hit 63 to help Deeping to 163 all out, Haxey looked comfortable with 20 needed off the last five overs. But wickets began to fall and their win came with just one ball of the match remaining and one wicket still standing. In the next round of the cup, Haxey are home to the winners of the match between Sleaford and Nettleham, which is being played next Sunday. Sunday’s other two scheduled matches were called off (Boston v Oakham and Bracebridge v Lindum). Both are hopefully to be re-arranged.

Preview for weekend of April 19/20

The Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League welcomes a new team for the 2008 season as Haxey come up from the Lincolnshire County Cricket League to take the place of demoted Boston. The newcomers face a tough match at Augusta Street where they meet the 2007 runners-up Grimsby Town who will field a team similar to last year, except for Sri Lankan Dammika Gunawardena who is unable to return. Haxey are captained by spin bowler Mark Atkins who helped his team to promotion as the leading bowler in the premier division of the LCCL. The village side, once again, have the services of their Sri Lankan player Rodrigo, who has now been resident in England for more than two years, and arriving shortly will be Rodrigo’s brother to add strength to the side. Bracebridge Heath welcome back Australian Jason Vero after a couple of years’ absence as they set off in pursuit of their sixth successive championship with a local derby against Nettleham whose popular Bangladeshi bowler Ashique Rahman is back for a second season. Also returning is Sri Lankan Nuwan Shiroman, now in his fourth season in the league and looking for another good year with Louth who finished a creditable sixth in 2007, their first season in the top flight. An interesting opening match at Owmby sees Louth entertain Messingham who welcome the return of a number of young post-university players. The news from third placed Lindum is that Kiwi all-rounder Josh Brodie is back. Brodie, who took the most wickets in the league last year and was second in the number of runs scored, returns to play under a new captain, Matt Rutherford, who will be assisted by Richard Bishop. Rutherford was just one behind Brodie in the 2007 wickets total, giving the Lincoln side a formidable bowling attack. Lindum’s opening match is away at Bourne whose slightly erratic batting displays pushed them down to an unaccustomed seventh last year. Skipper David Christmas will undoubtedly be looking for more consistent performances from his talented youngsters and a return to the top half of the table.

While happy to finish fifth in their first Premier League season, Woodhall Spa’s aim to improve on this has seen them strengthen their team with the signing of bowler Aaron Onyon and batsman Conrad Louth – formerly with Lindum and Boston respectively. In addition to their league challenge, a big season looms for the Jubilee Park club with a one-day Lincolnshire county match in April and the visit by Lashings World XI in August. Woodhall’s first match is at home to Caistor who welcome back Australian batsman Mark Watkinson. Wicketkeeper Liam Mitchell has taken over as Caistor captain from Kristian Adams who has left the club. The final match of the opening weekend is at Market Deeping where the visitors are Sleaford, captained once again by John Riddell and fielding many of the team that finished fourth last season. The home side will be hoping for another productive year from seasoned batsman David Gillett who hit more than 700 runs and topped the batting averages in 2007. Deeping will also be anticipating good performances from last year’s Premier League young player of the year, 19-year-old Michael Kearns who took 30 wickets and 18-year-old wicketkeeper Jamie Morgan who made 20 dismissals. Market Deeping are in action again on Sunday when they take on Haxey at home in the first round of the newly-named Winkworth Cup. Bracebridge Heath entertain Lincoln and in a clash between two invited South Lincolnshire and Border League sides, Boston are home to Oakham.

April 19 fixtures (12 noon start)

ECB LEAGUE

Bracebridge Heath v Nettleham

Bourne v Lindum

Grimsby v Haxey

Louth v Messingham

Market Deeping v Sleaford

Woodhall Spa v Caistor

April 20 fixtures (12 noon start)

WINKWORTH CUP

Market Deeping v Haxey

Bracebridge Heath v Lindum

Boston v Oakham