In his first season as captain of Sleaford, Oliver Burford ensured that his team ended the summer with a flourish. Burford, whose batting for his new team has improved steadily through the season, saved the best ‘til last, hitting the highest individual total of 2009 of 171 not out away at Bourne. And in partnership with 19-year-old Alex Sears, the county wicketkeeper put on 226 for the fifth wicket, smashing the previous record, set in 2003 by Steve Warman and Rob Cook of Bracebridge Heath, by 61 runs. Sears made 75 in the stand that rescued Sleaford, who were 44 for four when Burford came to the crease and 309 for five when the innings closed. Bourne’s reply got off to a bad start with a run out and a wicket for Sam Burrows and the home side never recovered, Jonathan Miller taking the final three wickets for three runs off 13 balls to end the innings on 117 – Ben Stroud top scoring with 42 - and leave his side in a creditable fourth place in the table.

While Burford was completing his first season as captain, Nettleham skipper Russ Binnington was playing his last – and ensuring he, too, went out with a flourish. Having seen his batsmen struggle against the bowling at Grimsby, for whom Gary Tillison was on top form, Binnington came in a eight to hit 43 and help his side to 151 before the final wicket fell, David Manby, his replacement as captain, making 32. Tillison took five wickets but this was matched by Australian James McKay who made life difficult for Grimsby after they had comfortably reached 83 for two. The next four wickets fell for just 11 runs but Tillison came to the rescue with an unbeaten 27, in which he hit four fours, to see his side home to a slender one wicket victory. Skegness hung on to second place after a last over victory at home to Market Deeping, a task made more difficult by a hat trick from Nick Cowley. Deeping skipper David Gillett just missed out his century, finishing unbeaten on 96 as his side reached 239 for seven, Tom Andrews contributing 57. Saeed Bariwala opened with 56 but it was the dependable Paul Butler, unbeaten on 57, who saw Skegness to victory with just four balls to spare.

Bracebridge Heath scored their 13th win of the season when they beat Woodhall Spa at Jubilee Park, Brett Houston making 85 and Aaron Onyon hitting 59 and taking five wickets. In reply, Woodhall were out for 161, Andrew Crook failing to beat the record run total after he was out for eight. Onyon’s five wickets put him on 61 for the season, realising the county bowler’s ambition to win the league bowling trophy for most wickets. However, Onyon will have to share that title with Matt Rutherford who also took five in Lindum’s victory at Caistor. The ever-improving 18-year-old Alex Hornsby took his total runs for 2009 to 763 with an innings of 80 while Pierce Morley-Barnes hit 57 which helped Lindum to 275 for nine. Rutherford and Karanjit Bansal then took five wickets each to bowl Caistor out for 151. This left Caistor with six points which proved sufficient to keep them off the bottom of the table after Messingham drew with Louth but only gained seven. Nuwan Shiroman returns to Sri Lanka with more than 600 runs under his belt after hitting 93 as Louth notched up 301 for five. But Messingham’s young team discovered their own batting form, ending on 216 for seven.

News from September 13

Promotion and relegation issues

Boston are South Lincs and Border League champions and will be eligible for automatic promotion back to the Lincs ECB Premier League provided all the necessary criteria is still in place.

In the Lincolnshire County Cricket League, South Kelsey beat Haxey by five runs (SK 201 for five - Haxey 196ao) while Hartsholme picked up 20 points (Broughton 161 all out, Hartsholme 163 for five). This makes Hartsholme champions and they will also be eligible for promotion if their inspection by Premier League officials proves satisfactory.

Round-up for September 12-13

Bracebridge Heath clinched their seventh Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League championship in succession with victory over Grimsby - but the runners-up slot is set to go to the wire after Sleaford came out on the right side of a draw with Skegness while Louth picked up 19 points at Lindum. And Woodhall Spa’s Andrew Crook smashed through 1000 run barrier in style with unbeaten 146 at Market Deeping and now needs just 20 to break the league record for most runs in a season. Should Louth take 20 points at Messingham next weekend, Skegness need 14 from their clash with Market Deeping to ensure second place in only their first season in the league.

At home to Grimsby, Bracebridge made 250 for eight, Paul Cook with 73. Aaron Keverne-Onyon then boosted his challenge for title of top wicket taker with six for 31 as Grimsby were all out for 160.Onyon now shares top spot in the wickets table with Matt Rutherford of Lindum, both of them on 56 for the season after Rutherford managed only one victim in the home game against Louth who reached 206 for six, Nuwan Shiroman taking his total runs past the 600 mark with an innings of 86. At 55 for five, Lindum looked set for a heavy defeat but Harry Dunn and Rutherford pulled their side back into the game and the last wicket fell just 12 short of their target. Sleaford moved up to fourth after scoring 227 for six, Dammika Gunawardena and Jonathan Miller each hitting 51. Skegness then fell short of this by 14 runs but hung on to their last wicket to take home nine points for the draw, Sean Chamberlain scoring 55.

Caistor now look destined for relegation after Boston were crowned champions of the South Lincolnshire and Border League with automatic promotion to the top league provided they meet the required criteria. But this didn’t stop the bottom side from notching up the second highest score of the day, James France hitting 65 and Mark Gowshall 58 of their 250 for eight at Nettleham. Rob Cook then contributed 74 as Nettleham held on for a draw with 216 for eight. Crook’s 146, which came off 155 balls with 19 fours and four sixes, took Woodhall Spa to the day’s top team total of 267 for five with Warren Nel making 78 to take his individual runs for the season to 902. Crook went on to take four wickets and three catches as Deeping were all out for 230.

Round-up for September 5-6

Caistor may be bottom of the league but their batsmen made their mark on the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League with a new 10th wicket record partnership against leaders Bracebridge Heath. Sahan Wijerathne and Nick Warmoth put on 84, adding seven runs to the previous record – which was set by another Caistor pair Dave Holness and Paul Dimbleby and has stood since the league’s first season in 2000. Wijerathne made 82 but this could not prevent Caistor going down to a six wicket defeat as Aaron Keverne-Onyon hit 55 in the top team’s reply.

Matt Rutherford took his season’s total of wickets to 55 as his seven for 21 reduced Bourne from 118 for two to 142 all out. Lindum had set their hosts a target of 200 at Abbey Lawn, losing their final wicket in the 50th over with Alex Hornsby hitting 71 and Mark Dixon took five wickets. Bourne then batted themselves into a good position thanks to 47 from Craig Williams but an excellent 11 overs from the Lindum captain saw his side home. The closest game of the day was at Grimsby where Market Deeping chased down the home side’s total of 175 for nine. Deeping skipper David Gillett hit an unbeaten 79 as the visitors claimed victory in the final over of the match with just one wicket still standing.

It was also a close run thing at third placed Louth where the home side made a meagre 128 but went on to bowl Nettleham out for 117, Stewart West with five wickets. Woodhall Spa’s previous good form deserted them when second placed Skegness ended their innings on 223 for nine, a total that has been bettered many times on the excellent Jubilee Park pitch. However, on this occasion the Woodhall batsmen failed to deliver, succumbing to the Skegness bowling for just 86, Saeed Bariwala claiming four victims to take his season’s wicket total past 40.

An unbeaten 75 from Tom Shorthouse helped Sleaford overtake Messingham’s total of 170 for nine at London Road to win by five wickets to move the home side to fifth in the table. Lindum are now fourth, Market Deeping sixth and Grimsby and Woodhall have slipped back down into the bottom half of the table in seventh and eighth respectively.

Round-up for August 29-30

It was all change once again in the middle of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table as victory over Grimsby lifted Woodhall Spa from sixth to fourth. Grimsby slipped one place, as did Lindum, while Sleaford moved up to replace Market Deeping in seventh.

At Jubilee Park, Warren Nel took his total runs for the season over the 800 mark with an innings of 64 and Sam Evison was unbeaten on 58 as Woodhall finished their 50 overs on 205 for six. Grimsby were then bowled out for 167. Sleaford’s good run continued, thanks in part to Dammika Gunawardena who took six for 17 at Lindum, including a hat trick. Returning for a second spell of bowling with just one wicket to his name, the Sri Lankan’s next three overs brought him five wickets for just one run. This reduced the home side to 164 all out of which Alex Hornsby hit 78, and Sleaford went on to claim a four-wicket win.

Bourne finally got among the runs after a couple of lean weeks, chasing Nettleham’s 193 for eight to win by three wickets. This moved Bourne above their opponents into ninth place but Nettleham have two games in hand and both are well above Messingham and Caistor, the two relegation-threatened teams. Of these two, Caistor gained the best result, holding Market Deeping to a draw in a close game at Outgang Road. The home side batted first and reached 196 for nine, a total Caistor failed to achieve by just 12 runs, finishing 184 for six with Sahan Wijerathne hitting an unbeaten 51.

Messingham travelled to second-placed Skegness who raced to a nine wicket win after bowling their visitors out for 164 in the final over of their innings. Carl Wilson with 64 and Saeed Bariwala with an unbeaten 76 then saw Skegness to victory in just 25 overs. This gained the seasiders 20 points while top team Bracebridge Heath picked up only 13 at home to Louth who restricted the leaders to 199 for eight, Brett Houston hitting 55. Matt Crowther then made an unbeaten 66 as Louth’s 50 overs ended on 152 for seven to keep them in third place in the table.

Round-up for August 22-23

It was all change yet again in the lower half of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League as Bourne became the latest team to make the slide into the bottom three, going from eighth to 10th place while Woodhall went the other way, finally making it into the top half of the table. Bourne went down by nine wickets to leaders Bracebridge Heath after being bowled out for 62. But Woodhall enjoyed a much higher scoring drawn game at Caistor where players on both sides made centuries. Warren Nel played a superb innings for his 110 to help Woodhall to 239 for six, with Caistor skipper Peter Briggs making 100 in his side’s reply which had reached 202 for six at the close.

Lindum bounced back from last weekend’s heavy defeat to regain fifth place in an extraordinary game at Messingham. The Lincoln side’s innings finished on 282 for six, to which the home team’s bowlers contributed a massive 61 extras, eclipsing Alex Hornsby’s 52, Harry Dunn’s 53 and Qasim Memon’s unbeaten 53. Matt Rutherford then took his total wickets for the season to 48, taking six for 16 as Messingham were all out for 89. Bracebridge’s victory takes them further ahead at the top after challengers Skegness were on the wrong end of a draw at fourth placed Grimsby. Neal Snell narrowly missed out on a century, being out for 93 and Geoff Middleton made 52 as the home side set Skegness a target of 233. Wade McCall hit 55 but at the close, the seasiders had only 186 for six on the board.

This result put Louth within striking distance of second place after Nuwan Shiroman hit the day’s third century. The Sri Lankan was out for 101 as Louth posted a total of 238 for eight before bowling Market Deeping out for 148. Sleaford moved above Nettleham into eighth place after an entertaining game at London Road ended in a four wicket win for the home side who had restricted their opponents to 166 for nine, Rob Cook hitting 54 and Stephen Bradford taking five wickets. Sleaford captain Oliver Burford then led his side to victory with an innings of 76.

Round-up for August 15/16

Market Deeping shot up from 10^th to fifth in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League as the face of the table changed yet again. Deeping raced to an eight wicket win in their local derby against Bourne after Michael Kearns’ seven for 33 helped bowl the visitors out for 117. Jamie Morgan then hit 71 of the required total.

Lindum dropped from fourth to sixth after a heavy defeat at Skegness for whom skipper Wade McCall claimed seven for 34. The Lincoln side succumbed for just 66, a target Skegness overtook in less than eight overs, Nathan Docker hitting 28 off just 13 balls. A higher scoring game at Augusta Street saw Grimsby move back up to fourth place after reaching 227 for eight against Caistor, Gihan Perera making 58. Fellow Sri Lankan Sahan Wijerathne also hit 58 as Caistor reached 189 before their final wicket fell.

At Cross O’Cliff Court, Tom Khoza took six for 49 for Bracebridge Heath who bowled Sleaford out for 161 in the penultimate over of their innings. However, the league leaders were made to fight for their victory, and at one stage were 80 for six before Mark Fell and Stuart Airey saw them home to a four wicket win. The results from these four matches left Louth - whose game against Woodhall Spa has been re-arranged for August 31- still in third place but Bourne dropped from fifth to eighth and Sleaford slipped back to tenth.

Round-up for August 8/9

Saturday may have dawned sunny but the previous two days’ rain was enough to wash out the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League matches at Louth and Caistor. However, the remaining four produced several changes in the table, Market Deeping dropping four places, Woodhall Spa moving up two and Lindum continuing their meteoric rise to claim fourth place. Woodhall and Bourne fought out the highest scoring encounter with Andrew Crook now just 52 runs short of 1,000 for the season after he made 127 at Abbey Lawn. This helped the visitors to 284 for seven but Tom Lindley’s 57 and Will Clough with 60 enabled Bourne to claim a share of the points as they ended on 228 for five.

This moved Woodhall up to seventh at the expense of Nettleham who dropped to eighth after going down at Lindum whose win took them above Bourne. Pierce Morley-Barnes made his maiden Premier League century for the Lincoln side, ending unbeaten on 108 as Lindum notched up 201 for three. Karanjit Bansal then took six for 59 as Nettleham were all out for 151. Sleaford finally pulled away from 10th place, consigning Market Deeping to this position after an 80 run win at London Road. Deeping won the toss and, having been invited to bat, Sleaford made 217 for nine, Dammika Gunawadena hitting 53 and despite Jamie Morgan’s 65, Deeping lost their final wicket on 137.

Second placed Skegness were the visitors to Caistor and the loss of any play for the seasiders allowed leaders Bracebridge Heath to benefit from the 20 points they picked up at Messingham. Peter Morgan made 52 and Paul Cook 61 of Bracebridge’s 236 for eight and Tom Khoza took five for 27 to help bowl the home side out for 132. Louth stay third despite no play being possible against Grimsby at London Road. Arran Brindle’s side will be hoping for better weather next week in preparation for their match against England women on Friday.

Round-up for August 1/2

Only one match reached a conclusion on a wet Saturday in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League but the result boosted the challenge of Skegness for honours as the second placed side picked up 20 points against Nettleham. Saeed Bariwala was the man of the match, taking five wickets as Nettleham were all out for 162, of which Rob Cook made 85. Bariwala was then among the runs, topping 40 and with 10 runs required and three wickets standing, Skegness looked home and dry. However, two of these wickets fell before the seasiders scraped home with 164 for nine.

Of the remaining games, Louth and Caistor came closest to completing, the rain finally washing the game out with just three overs to go. Louth made 231 for seven, Rory Osmond with 63 and Nuwan Shiroman 57, while Sahan Wijerathne hit 64 as Caistor reached 158 for six before the weather intervened. Michael Brown took five wickets for Grimsby who were in a good position to chase Bourne’s total of 134 when they were forced off the field on 65 for two.

And the game at Woodhall Spa looked like being close, Sleaford having made 248 for eight, with Jonathan Adams hitting 94 and Oliver Burford 50 and Andrew Crook taking five wickets. For Woodhall, Conrad Louth made 66 but rain stopped proceedings on 151 for three with 20 overs still to go. Market Deeping were also rained off in a good position on 85 for three chasing Messingham’s 177 while no play at all was possible in Bracebridge Heath’s game at home to Lindum.

Messingham scored their third win of the season in a re-arranged Sunday game at home to Bourne. Irfan Ahmed claimed four wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 145, a total Messingham overtook for the loss of five wickets. Both teams remain in the same position in the table but Messingham’s 20-point victory opens up the gap over bottom team Caistor still further.

Round-up for July 25

In a weekend of surprise results, Caistor beat Bourne, Messingham overtook a huge Woodhall Spa total and Sleaford came out on the right side of a draw with Grimsby. And Skegness suffered their first defeat of the season to Louth while Lindum moved up from ninth to sixth in the table following their victory over Market Deeping. Woodhall’s game at Messingham followed much the same pattern as their previous week’s game against Skegness at Jubilee Park – nearly 570 runs and only eight wickets falling. Having reached 283 for four off their 50 overs, with Warren Nel hitting an unbeaten 138, the visitors saw their opponents reach this target, also for the loss of four wickets, Jason Scheepers with 78 and Dave Dawson (57) the mainstays of the Messingham innings.

Sahan Wijerathne was behind Caistor’s success at Bourne who were bowled out for 163, the Sri Lankan taking seven for 61 then going on to make an unbeaten 69 as the visitors won by five wickets. However, with Sleaford also picking up points in a winning draw at home to Grimsby, these victories did little to help the bottom two sides close the gap on the team above them. Oliver Burford hit 79 and Dammika Gunawardena 54 of Sleaford’s total of 261 for eight, while Richard Antcliffe and Michael Brown made 73 and 50 not out respectively to give Grimsby a share of the points with 233 for eight, Jonathan Miller taking six wickets.

At St Giles Avenue, Karanjit Bansal took five for 21 as Market Deeping were all out for 90, of which David Gillett hit an unbeaten 50. But Lindum made hard work of this modest total, losing six wickets before claiming the 20 points that took them above their opponents in the table. Louth set Skegness what, for the seasiders, would normally be an easily achievable target of 226 for eight at London Road, Graham West unbeaten on 71. But on this occasion, the visitors’ batting prowess deserted them and they were all out for 155. This allowed Bracebridge Heath to open up the gap at the top of the table after they posted 200 for nine at Nettleham of which Tom Khoza hit 82. Aaron Onyon then took seven for 27 as the home side were all out for 76.

Round-up for July 18

The weather was the main winner in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League programme, washing out three games including the top of the table clash between Skegness and Bracebridge Heath. At the bottom, Caistor also lost their chance to challenge Sleaford and at Market Deeping and Grimsby, where play went ahead, the batsmen found the going difficult. But it was a different story at Jubilee Park where two centuries were scored in the game between Woodhall Spa and Lindum. Batting first, Woodhall set their visitors a target of 267, losing only four wickets as Andrew Crook hit 130 and Conrad Louth 70. Lindum were always in the hunt but looked like falling just short until Alex Hornsby took control with an unbeaten 101 that helped his side to a six wicket victory to take them further away from the bottom three.

Market Deeping moved back above Woodhall after bowling Nettleham out for 123, Michael Kearns taking three wickets for six runs. Deeping then lost six wickets overtaking this total, Jonathan Wright making 67.

And at Augusta Street, Messingham were all out for 159 in the final over of their innings, Jason Scheepers making 57. Scott Harniess and Gihan Perera where the mainstays of the Grimsby innings, both just missing out on their half century but helping the home side to a five wicket win.

Round-up for July 11

Louth moved into third place in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League with a comfortable 70-run win over Sleaford at London Road but Bracebridge and Skegness continue to dominate the table, both again picking up 20 points.

Brett Houston put in the performance of the match for Bracebridge with 56 runs and six wickets while Paul Cook made a century in the leaders’ win over Market Deeping who were bowled out for 68 after their hosts had notched up the day’s highest total of 294 for five. And at Bourne, Hamid Hassan announced his return to full bowling fitness with a hat-trick for Skegness which helped bowl the home side out for 147. Saeed Bariwala then made 58 as the seasiders won by seven wickets.

Woodhall Spa’s Andrew Crook also had a good day with bat and ball, hitting a massive 161 and taking five wickets to help his side to a 155 run win over Nettleham who slipped from third to fourth place. This win moved Woodhall up to sixth, the first time they have broken into the top half of the table this season.

At the bottom of the table, Messingham celebrated their first outright win of the season when they beat Caistor by a convincing 131 runs, leaving their opponents a long way adrift in last place. Ian Dawson hit 85 of his side’s total of 258 for six, which proved beyond Caistor who were bowled out for 127. Louth made 201 for seven in their second game on their new ground before bowling Sleaford out for 131, a result that dropped the visitors to 10th and pushed Lindum up to ninth after the Lincoln side celebrated their second win in successive weeks. Matt Rutherford took six wickets as Grimsby were bowled out for 163, a total Lindum overtook for the loss of five wickets.

Round-up for July 4

Caistor slipped to the bottom of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League after suffering a heavy defeat away to fellow strugglers Lindum. The Lincoln side’s 20 points from their first outright victory of the season helped them draw away from the bottom two. Alex Hornsby set up the victory with an innings of 85, putting on 71 for the second wicket with Pierce Morley-Barnes (32) and 48 for the fifth with Qasim Memon. Lindum were all out for 180, Paul Dimbleby taking five of the wickets. But despite 42 from Sahan Wijerathne, Caistor were unable to match this total, their final wicket falling on 81.

Meanwhile, a much-improved performance from Messingham saw them go above Caistor, though they still trail Lindum by a sizeable margin. At home to Louth, who lost eight wickets before setting their opponents a target of 245, Messingham reached 227 for eight at the close, bringing a welcome 11 points for the draw.

Bracebridge Heath and Skegness marched on at the top of the table, the leaders picking up 20 points with a 99 run victory over Woodhall Spa. Nick John hit 95 of the Bracebridge total of 276 for seven and Woodhall then fell foul of a very good bowling spell from Stuart Airey who took five for 50 to help bowl them out for 177. Skegness also gained 20 as they notched up the highest team total at Market Deeping after Nathan Docker had hit the only century of the day, making 131. The visitors were 295 for nine at the end of their 50 overs, then bowled Deeping out for 172.

Grimsby gifted third placed Nettleham an extra over as they were bowled out for 180 on a pitch that suited the slower bowlers – as demonstrated by Paul Cook who took six for 46. However, the home side needed only their own overs as the winning runs came off the final ball of the 50th over, Ed Bosworth the mainstay of the Nettleham victory after coming at four to hit an unbeaten 58.

At Sleaford, Ben Stroud took his runs tally over the 400 mark with an innings of 72 as Bourne made 256 for seven, a total the home side were unable to match as they were all out for 201.

Round-up for June 27

Bracebridge Heath saw their lead at the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League cut when they picked up only 12 points at Grimsby while in the remaining five matches, the winnings teams all came away with 20. Batting first, Bracebridge finished on 260 for seven, Brett Houston recording the day’s highest individual score with 117. But Gihan Perera made an unbeaten 100 as the home side – without Richard Antcliffe who retired hurt with an arm injury early in their innings – made 206 for two.

Skegness closed the gap with a five-wicket win over Sleaford but were given a hard time by the visitors who bowled and fielded and well, forcing their opponents to bat into the 47th over before the target of 191 was reached. Nettleham moved back into third after skittling out Caistor for 112 and winning by seven wickets while Bourne inflicted a similar fate on Messingham who were out for 124 and lost by eight wickets, Charlie Hopkins adding another five victimes to his growing tally.

Louth celebrated their return to London Road with a win over Lindum for whom Pierce Morley-Barnes took five wickets and hit 74 runs. Louth notched up 231 and after the very young Lincoln side had reached 108 for five, the last five wickets fell for only 12 runs. However, the five points Lindum gained moved them further away from the bottom two.

Woodhall Spa proved they have their season back on track with a 103 run win over Market Deeping who slipped from third place to sixth. Andrew Crook and Warren Nel did the damage with bat and ball for the home side, Crook hitting 78 runs - to take him over the 500 mark for the season - and taking three wickets while Nel made 68 runs and claimed four wickets. Woodhall’s 262 for nine was the highest score of the day and though Deeping recovered from losing two early wickets, they could reach only 159 when the final wicket fell.

Round-up for June 20

Market Deeping moved into third place in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table after a slender seven run victory over Grimsby Town at Outgang Road. Grimsby were unfortunate to be reduced to 10 batsmen following an injury to a fielder in the first innings, but Deeping skipper Nick Cowley’s six for 48 ensured that his side successfully defended their modest total of 177, of which David Gillett made 56.

Skegness consolidated their second place despite being faced with an even bigger run chase than the previous week after Woodhall Spa notched up 272 for five, Jack Luffman falling five short of a century and Conrad Louth hitting 63. In reply, only Saeed Bariwala with 62 passed the half century mark but good batting down the order saw the league newcomers to a three wicket win.

Caistor and Messingham slipped deeper into trouble after the former had suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of leaders Bracebridge Heath and the Scunthorpe side became ever-improving Sleaford’s latest victim.

Aaron Onyon took five wickets as Caistor were bowled out for 126 and Brett Houston made 50 to help set up Bracebridge’s seven wicket victory. Tom Shorthouse contributed 86 and Stephen Bradford 54 to Sleaford’s 240 for eight before Messingham were bowled out for 127, Jason Scheepers hitting 79 and Jonathan Miller recording the day’s best bowling figures of seven for 25.

Nuwan Shiroman got among the runs for Louth with 71 and Matt Crowther went even better with 88 as Louth reached 241 for nine at Nettleham who were then bowled out for 169, Rob Cook making 56. Lindum also suffered an injury to a player but managed to hold on for a losing draw after Bourne had posted 268 for three, Mark Williams, Chris Dring and Cliff Spinks all making half centuries. Lindum then reached 160 for nine despite a six wicket haul for Charlie Hopkins, Alex Hornsby hitting 60. This moved Bourne into fifth place just ahead of Louth, while Lindum’s points ensured that they retained their sizeable lead over the bottom two.

Round-up for June 13

A high scoring run chase saw Skegness move into second place in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table. Playing at Northfield Road, bottom team Messingham amassed what, in most cases, would have been a winning total of 245 before their final wicket fell, Jason Scheepers making 61. But the newcomers are full of confidence following their successful start to their Premier League campaign and the Scunthorpe side succumbed to a five wicket defeat, Nathan Docker hitting 100 in the Skegness reply.

Caistor must have also fancied their chances of victory when they restricted Market Deeping to 193 all out at Brigg Road, Charlie Kearns making 86 and Nick Warmoth taking five wickets. But after losing their first two wickets for just two runs, the home side were on the back foot and could only recover sufficiently to achieve a losing draw with 171 for eight, Jim Parker unbeaten on 89. Sleaford moved up a place, swapping positions with opponents Lindum who finished on 197 for eight, Alex Hornsby top scoring with 59. But the visitors were then on the receiving end of some good batting from Oliver Burford (85) and Dammika Gunawardena whose unbeaten 77 saw Sleaford to an eight wicket win.

Grimsby moved back into the top half of the table with a last over victory at home to Woodhall Spa who had 151 on the board before their first wicket fell - Andrew Crook, lbw Gihan Perera for 9. In the next over, Michael Brown dismissed Warren Nel for 53, after which the run rate fell and at the close the visitors had reached 220 for nine, Brown with five for 46 and Perera taking three wickets. Richard Ancliffe and Scott Harneiss got Grimsby off to a good start with a stand of 72 but it was the third wicket stand of 106 between Neal Snell (42) and Perera (76) that took the home side in sight of a six wicket victory with Lewis Tillison and Brown guiding their side home with five balls to spare.

Nettleham slipped to third place behind Skegness after failing by just seven runs to equal Bourne’s total of 205 at Abbey Lawn. Ben Stroud added 72 to his ever-growing runs total while Will Carter claimed five wickets for Nettleham whose 50 overs ended on 197 for nine, Cliff Spinks also taking five for Bourne.

Bracebridge Heath once again topped the 300 mark, racing to 314 for five at Louth’s temporary home at Owmby – but once again the reigning champions failed to bowl out the opposition. Nick John hit 133 for Bracebridge with Paul Cook blasting 58 off 22 balls but Louth batted steadily and at the close had picked up a valuable six points with a score of 189 for five, Graham West with 93.

Round-up for June 6

Results went against both Bracebridge Heath and Nettleham, the top two team in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League. But with Bracebridge picking up points for a losing draw while Nettleham suffered an outright defeat, it was the leaders who benefited as the gap between the two opened up.

Bourne and Sleaford were behind the shock results, the former setting Bracebridge a target of 247 after their final wicket fell with a ball to go. Ben Stroud made 80 and Tom Khoza took six wickets for Bracebridge who failed to match their visitor’s total, finishing their 50 overs on 191 for eight, Paul Cook with 86. This gave Bracebridge 11 points but at Nettleham, the home side were bowled out by Sleaford for just 144, five of the wickets falling to Stephen Bradford. The visitors then went on to a very welcome five-wicket victory that took them out of the bottom two.

Caistor changed places with Sleaford after going down at Woodhall Spa by 10 wickets, Matt Sergeant’s six for 20 helping bowl the visitors out for 65, a target that Woodhall achieved in just 10 overs. Messingham set their season on the road to recovery, staying bottom but narrowing the gap on Caistor with a losing draw at Lindum where Richard Cross hit the day’s only century with 113. Danny Rands’ five wickets helped restrict the home side to 205 for nine and Ian Dawson then carried his bat to finish 60 not out as Messingham reached 132 for eight at the close.

The tightest game of the day was at Skegness where Richard Antcliffe got back among the runs, scoring 75 of his side’s 208 for eight. Saeed Bariwala then made 65 and Paul Butler an unbeaten 72 as the home side claimed a slender two-wicket victory with four balls to spare. This moved Skegness into third place after Market Deeping’s game with Louth was called off because of a wet pitch.

Round-up for May 30

Two weeks ago, they were bottom of the table, last week they were fifth and now Market Deeping have climbed to third place following a high scoring game at Bourne. Chris Dring made the league’s highest total of the day with 120 at Abbey Lawn with new overseas signing Craig Williams making 95 as the home side clocked up 282 for five. Jonathan Wright with 88 and Tom Andrews (71) got Deeping’s reply off to a good start but it was Lee Peacock with a quick-fire 105 not out who took Deeping to a four wicket victory.

At the other end of the scale – and the table – Messingham were dismissed for 83 by Nettleham for whom James McKay took five for 43. But the visitors made hard work of their pursuit, losing seven wickets before claiming their win. This gave Nettleham 20 points and with Bracebridge Heath also picking up the maximum, these two are now drawing ahead of the pack at the top of the table. Playing at London Road, Bracebridge hit the highest team total with 305 for eight, Nick John, Paul Cook and Mark Fell all making half centuries and Jonathan Miller taking five wickets for Sleaford. South African Tom Khoza then took five for 29 as the home side were all out for 105.

Skegness stayed fourth after making 169 for six at Lindum, Tony Santini unbeaten on 52. At 74 for two in the 29th over, the home side were in a strong position but the next three wickets went for only 16 runs and Lindum could only hold for the extra points for the draw, finishing on 132 for nine. Woodhall Spa also topped the 300 mark as they finally found some batting form. Warren Nel hit 110 and Conrad Louth 64 to help the total to 304 for three, but opponents Louth were also on good batting form, Jim Morgan making 102 as the visitors reached 261 for six at the close.

Another century was scored at Caistor, where Grimsby’s Gihan Perrera made an unbeaten 116 and Steve Crossley hit 53, while Perrera’s fellow Sri Lankan Sahan Wijerathne took five wickets for the home side. Grimsby notched up 248 for eight then bowled Caistor out for 141 to move back into the top half of the table.

Round-up for May 23

While Bracebridge Heath and Nettleham both gained 20 points to retain the top two places in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table, the fluctuating fortunes of the teams below them saw more major changes in the order.

Louth moved up to third, taking over from Grimsby after inflicting a 58 run defeat on their Augusta Street opponents, Arran Brindle carrying her bat for Louth with an unbeaten 53. Grimsby in turn slid down to seventh while Market Deeping made the biggest leap from bottom place to fifth having picked up 20 points at the expense of Sleaford who went down by six wickets.

Caistor were on the receiving end of some of the fastest bowling the league has seen for some time. This came from Skegness’ new signing, Afghanistan international Hamid Hassan who played for his country in the World Cup qualifiers, taking five for 23 when Afghanistan beat Ireland and who has also played for the MCC.

After Skegness had made 219 for eight, Hamid claimed seven for 53 but an innings of 91 from Sri Lankan Sahan Wijerathne helped Caistor hang on to finish on 161 for nine.

Charlie Hopkins took six for 24 as Woodhall Spa were restricted to 109 for nine off their 50 overs at Jubilee Park, Sam Evison making an unbeaten 58. Ben Stroud then reached 54 not out as Bourne claimed a nine wicket victory.

Nettleham’s Paul Cook and Matt Rutherford of Lindum both recorded five wicket hauls at Mulsanne Park but it was Nettleham who came out on top in what proved to be a tight game, winning by just two wickets after bowling Lindum out for 144.

Messingham took over from Market Deeping at the bottom of the table after Aaron Onyon had taken six for 28 at Cross O’Cliff Court to help reduce the visitors to 75 all out, a total Bracebridge Heath overtook for the loss of three wickets.

Round-up for May 16

Overnight rain washed out half of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League programme but the remaining 50 per cent provided excitement and unexpected results that saw major alterations to the league table.

The game at Brigg Road provided the shock result of the day after Louth were bowled out for a meagre 94. Jim Morgan made 41 of these with only Nuwan Shiroman joining him in double figures with 12. Much of the damage was done by Paul Dimbleby who bowled 17 overs and took four for 35. Matt Hamilton took the first Caistor wicket with only two on the board and the introduction of new signing Mark Irving, who came on to bowl in tandem with son Joe, saw the second wicket go on 18. Hamilton took the third on 35 and by the time Irving finished his fourth over just one run – a wide - had been taken off his bowling. But when the score reached 50 for three Caistor were still in a good position, having been gifted eight extra overs. However, from here things went down hill rapidly as Jonathan Darke joined Mark Irving in the attack. Irving took the fourth wicket then Darke took two in one over and Caistor were 52 for six. Another wicket for Irving and run out made it 52 for eight and another wicket for each bowler saw the home side all out for 55, Irving with four for four off 8.3 overs, six of which were maidens and Darke returning figures of five overs, three maidens, three wickets for seven runs. This defeat saw Caistor drop from six to 11th in the table and Sleaford also tumbled five places to 10th after going down to Woodhall Spa by seven wickets at London Road, Stephen Bradford making 51 for Sleaford and Andrew Crook 50 for the visitors.

At Abbey Lawn, Grimsby looked home and dry on 140 for one with 14 overs to go, chasing Bourne’s 181 for nine of which Chris Bamber made 51 and David Christmas 45. Richard Antcliffe added another 50 to his rapidly growing total and Neal Snell made 62 but tight bowling from Charlie Hopkins and Ben Stroud saw wickets begin to tumble and Hopkins’ last three overs read wicket maiden, maiden, wicket maiden, as Grimsby fell just two runs short of their hosts’ total on 179 for eight, Stroud taking four wickets. With the teams around them all rained off, this nevertheless gave Grimsby sufficient points to keep them in third place while Louth, Woodhall Spa and Bourne all climbed the table and, despite being rained off, Messingham moved out of the bottom two thanks to Caistor and Sleaford’s defeats.

Round-up for May 9

Gihan Perrera flew into Britain on Friday night – and on Saturday afternoon he shook off any jet lag to hit 67 runs to help Grimsby to a six wicket victory over Sleaford and a move up to third place in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table after three games. Playing at Augusta Street, Sleaford posted 178 for eight, Tom Shorthouse hitting 52 and Oliver Burford making 56 against his old club, but though Richard Antcliffe missed out on his third successive century, he too made 67 to see his team home. Grimsby are now the only side with two outright wins this year while at the other end of the table, Market Deeping claimed their first as they restricted Lindum – who had been in third place – to 180 for nine then, despite a five wicket haul for Matt Rutherford, overtook this total for the loss of six wickets. Lee Peacock made a welcome return to the Deeping side with an innings of 51.

Caistor scored a convincing – and perhaps slightly unexpected – win over Bourne who were all out 80 runs short of Caistor’s total of 190 for eight, Harry Boulton making 63. This moved Caistor up into the top half of the table, six points ahead of Deeping, who are still at the bottom but are now just one behind Messingham.

The Scunthorpe side were left chasing a modest 170 at Jubilee Park but despite Cameron Fletcher’s knock of 55, fell 19 runs short, hanging on to their last wicket to claim the extra points.

At the top, Nettleham failed to overtake Bracebridge’s 252 for seven, of which Paul Cook made 92, but ensured that they stayed second and in touch with the leaders by taking a share of the points, finishing 207 for six, Sam Hickingbotham top-scoring with 63 not out. Skegness made it three draws out of three, this time taking the lion’s share of the points at home to Louth. Wade McCall hit 94 to take his side to maximum batting points with 225 for nine, while for Louth Jason Collinson took five wickets. Jim Morgan than scored the day’s only century with 105 but despite losing only four wickets, Louth fell short of the run rate, ending on 210 for four.

Round-up for May 2/3

A winning draw at home to Skegness was enough to push current champions Bracebridge Heath to the top of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League table. After two weeks of the season, five points separate the top four - Bracebridge, Nettleham, Lindum and Sleaford, all of whom came out on top in their respective games at the weekend. Peter Morgan (126), Nick John (100) and Paul Cook with a quick-fire 50 off 14 balls – including three fours and five sixes - helped Bracebridge to 296 for three. But the Skegness batsmen dug in and the champions had to be content with 18 points as visitors’ innings ended on 150 for seven, 49 of these runs scored by Paul Butler while Bracebridge’s new young wicketkeeper Carl Stubbs (17) claimed four victims.

Market Deeping once again restricted their opponents to what should have been an achievable total at Mulsanne Park – but once again fell short. Nick Cowley took five for 45 as Nettleham finished on 164 for eight but Deeping could only reach 135 for eight at the close. Lindum made sure of five batting points with an innings of 253 for nine, Karanjit Bansal top scoring with 43 and Matt Rutherford then took five for 48 to keep the Woodhall Spa score down to 210 for eight, Andrew Crook hitting 53.

Grimsby claimed victory off the penultimate ball of the innings when they overtook Messingham’s total of 221 for seven. Nick White, who is now coaching in New Zealand, made a welcome return to the league, hitting 50 for Messingham while Dave Dawson was unbeaten on 67. In reply, Grimsby had 91 on the board when their first wicket fell and Richard Antcliffe added to last week’s century with an innings of 111 but White took four wickets to keep Messingham in the hunt and Grimsby also had seven down before Paul Taylor hit the winning run.

Sleaford claimed all 20 points at home to Caistor who were bowled out for 133 chasing their hosts’ 264 for seven, of which Oliver Burford made 62 and Stephen Bradford 49. And Bourne also made it a 20-pointer when they entertained Louth. The home side notched up 252 for nine, Chris Dring with 59 and Matt Hamilton taking five for 42 for Louth who were then bowled out for 156, Jim Morgan making 54 and Mark Dixon taking five for 33.

WINKWORTH CUP

Bad weather marred the first round of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League Winkworth Cup. However, the competition produced some exciting matches and some unexpected results. The cup was played for the first time this year in 20/20 format with three teams competing at each of four venues.

At Grimsby, Messingham overcame all opposition, playing Grimsby first and winning by 32 runs after scoring 168 for six, Jason Scheepers making 60 off 48 balls and putting on 102 for the first wicket with Ian Dawson (40 off 27). Grimsby, in turn, beat Caistor by four wickets, overtaking a total of 147 for nine, of which Paul Dimbleby made 60 off 38 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Danny Cliffe was unbeaten on 41 as Grimsby claimed victory. The final game AT Grimsby between Messingham and Caistor saw the latter restricted to 127 for seven, a total Messingham overtook comfortably for the loss of three wickets, Scheepers adding to his tally with 53 off 34 balls with eight fours and six.

Elsewhere, at Lindum the first match was delayed by rain and was reduced to seven overs a side, producing an exciting match with Nettleham making 56 and Lindum looking comfortable going into the final over, needing just four to win. However, two run outs and another wicket gave Nettleham hope until Lindum claimed victory off the final ball of the game. Bracebridge Heath then raced to victory in the second match, Aaron Onyon hitting 50 off 25 balls to put the total of 163 beyond Nettleham’s reach. This put Bracebridge and Lindum head to head for a place in the final. Rain reduced this game to 15 overs a side and Bracebridge set Lindum a target of 98 - and again the result went to the final over with Lindum winning off the penultimate ball with just one wicket still standing.

Market Deeping, who in their first two league games of the season have managed a total of 241 runs off 100 overs, hit 208 off 20 to annihilate Sleaford who had earlier gone down to hosts Bourne in the opening match. Bourne batted first in the third game, setting Deeping a total of 118, which proved no problem to the big hitters. At Woodhall, Skegness got off to a fine start, defeating the host club who then also went down to Louth. However, rain intervened at the end of the first innings of the deciding game which had ended with Skegness scenting victory and in the ensuing bowl out to find a winner, Louth came out on top.

The semi- finals and final will be held at Sleaford on Monday, May 25. Lindum will play Market Deeping at 10.30am followed by Louth v Messingham at 1.30pm with the winners of these two matches going through to the final at 4.30pm. The overall winner will go through to the ECB Club 20/20 area finals.

Round-up for April 25/26

The first day of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League 2009 season brought a tie, two centuries, maximum points for only one team and the highest score of the day for league newcomers Skegness.

Caistor and Messingham matched totals at Brigg Road, Andy Langford taking five for 45 as the home side reached 181 for nine, Scott Indian top scoring with 41. Messingham opener Ian Dawson then scored 48 before being stumped by newly signed Caistor wicketkeeper Nick Dobbs. The visitors continued to make steady inroads into the total, reaching the last ball of the game with two needed but going for the second run the batsman was run out, leaving Messingham also on 181 for the loss of eight wickets.

Skegness made an encouraging start to their Premier League campaign, recording the highest team score of the day with 236 for four, 16 year old Jamie Epton batting well for his 56, skipper Wade McCall contributing 43 and ECB League veteran Paul Butler reaching 50 off the last ball of the innings. Bourne lost early wickets but Charlie Hopkins (54) and David Christmas added 102 and good performances from Bourne’s younger element kept the scoreboard moving. However, a sharp stumping from new Skegness wicketkeeper Carl Wilson dismissed Christmas for 82 in the final over and Bourne ended 12 runs short on 224 for eight.

Nettleham were the only team to gain the maximum 20 points when they beat Woodhall Spa by five wickets at Jubilee Park. Andrew Crook hit 76 of Woodhall’s total of 222 as the home side gifted their opponents two overs. Paul Cook took five for 55 for Nettleham and Rob Cook then made an unbeaten 81 to help his side to victory.

The highest individual total was Grimsby captain Richard Antcliffe’s unbeaten 119 which ensured that his side hung on for a losing draw against Lindum, who gained maximum batting points with 229-6, Alex Hornsby hitting 83. Despite Antcliffe’s efforts, Grimsby were restricted to 173 for nine, Ben Morrison claiming six for 49 for Lindum.

Louth’s new signing Jim Morgan made the only other century of the day with 116 of his side’s 224 for nine but Sleaford made sure of a share of the points with 194 for seven, new skipper Oliver Burford hitting 60 and Stephen Bradford, who had earlier taken six for 59, completing a man of the match performance with an innings of 65.

Champions Bracebridge had to settle for 18 points after Market Deeping took early wickets at Outgang Road. Peter Morgan steadied the innings with 61 and a late unbeaten 26 from James Wright took the visitors to a seemingly modest 182 for nine. In reply, Deeping got off to a steady start but from 66 for two, collapsed to 94 all out, Nick John and Aaron Onyon each taking four wickets.

News for April 24

The Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League Cup competition takes on a new look for 2009.

In previous years, the Winkworth Cup has been a 50-over straight knockout. However, with the introduction of the ECB Club 20/20, which involves Premier Leagues throughout the country, the Lincolnshire Premier has to put forward a team to the regional round. It was therefore decided to introduce the 20/20 format for the Winkworth Cup, with each winner going through.

The campaign begins on Monday, May 4 with three teams playing at each of four venues – Grimsby Town, Woodhall Spa, Lincoln Lindum and Bourne. Spectators are welcome at all of these clubs.

The draw has been made for the first round ties, which begin at 10.30. The second match, at 1.30pm, involves the losers of this match against the third team, who then play the first match winner at 4.30pm. The overall winner in each group goes through to the semi-finals and finals day at Sleaford on Monday, May 25.

The launch of the ECB 20/20 last year left the league too little time to find a cup winner so it was agreed that league champions Bracebridge Heath would represent the league – and the Lincoln side made it through to the final in Cardiff, which was televised on Sky, going out to the eventual winners, South Northumberland.

This year, all 12 teams in the league will be looking to emulate Bracebridge’s success.

Winkworth Cup round one

Group 1 (Bourne CC)

Match 1: Bourne v Sleaford

Match 2: Market Deeping v Match 1 loser

Match 3: Market Deeping v Match 1 winner

Group 2 (Lindum CC)

Match 1: Lindum v Nettleham

Match 2: Bracebridge Heath v Match 1 loser

Match 3: Bracebridge Heath v Match 1 winner

Group 3 (Woodhall Spa CC)

Match 1: Woodhall Spa v Skegness

Match 2: Louth v Match 1 loser

Match 3: Louth v Match 1 winner

Group 4 (Grimsby Town CC)

Match 1: Messingham v Grimsby

Match 2: Caistor v Match 1 loser

Match 3: Caistor v Match 1 winner

Pre-season preview

The Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League goes into its 10th season with one change to its line-up. Skegness gained promotion from the Lincolnshire County Cricket League at the second attempt, taking over from relegated Haxey – and the seasiders face a tough opening fixture when they take on last year’s third placed team, Bourne, at Richmond Road. The league newcomers have added wicketkeeper-batsman Carl Wilson from Grantham to a squad that will once again be captained by Wade McCall.

Champions Bracebridge Heath, who have signed former Woodhall Spa bowler Aaron Onyon, begin their campaign for their seventh title in succession with a visit to Outgang Road to play Market Deeping. Deeping, fourth in the table last year, will be without regular opener John McDougall - now adding his long experience to the club’s young second XI – but are expected to launch more of their talented young players into premier cricket. Meanwhile Woodhall, captained this year by Jack Luffman, are home to Nettleham. Will Carter, brother of new Notts signing Andy, joins the Mulsanne Park squad as does Australian quick bowler James McKay.

Arran Brindle is back at the helm at Louth who have signed Jamie Johnson from the Yorkshire Academy and Mark Irving from Alford. Louth, who have Nuwan Shiroman back for his fifth season in Lincolnshire travel to Sleaford where the new skipper is Minor County wicketkeeper Oliver Burford who has moved from Grimsby, and whose squad is expected to include a couple more ex-Grimsby players. Grimsby have announced the signing of Sri Lankan Gihan Perrara in time for the their fixture at home to Lindum who are once again expected to field a young team under the leadership of Matt Rutherford and his deputy Richard Bishop. Lindum will be without Josh Brodie early in the season but there is a possibility that the New Zealander, now a member of his country’s Emerging Player squad, could join up with his former team mates in June.

In a bid for a higher finish than last year’s 11th position, Caistor have registered up-and-coming youngster Nick Dobbs, son of former Minor Counties wicketkeeper Nigel. Dobbs (17) has been playing his cricket with Broughton in the Lincs League but is now making the step up to the top flight and will make his debut at Brigg Road against Messingham – his father’s former league team. He is joined in the Caistor squad by Paul Bexon who was with Louth and the club has also recruited Sahan Wijerathne, yet another Sri Lankans coming into the Premier League this year.

At the league’s pre-season meeting, it was confirmed that vice-chairman David Morris would take over as chairman following the sudden death earlier this year of Terry Bates whose ebullient leadership and administrative expertise is sadly missed within the league. League president Tony North agreed to take on the post of vice-chairman.

Fixtures – noon start: Market Deeping v Bracebridge Heath; Sleaford v Louth; Caistor v Messingham; Grimsby v Lindum; Woodhall Spa v Nettleham; Skegness v Bourne.