Derbyshire Premier League match reports - 13/07/02

Denby 311-3 drew with Clifton 151-5

Denby were asked to bat first and took full advantage of a depleted Clifton attack. Ian Parkin continued his wonderful form with the bat, scoring another century (115 not out), and sharing in a stand of 176 with skipper Stuart Poplar. Poplar was a little out of sorts in the early part of the season, but he demonstrated in this match that he is back to his old self, hitting the ball hard and finding the gaps. He was out in the final over for 96.

It was a daunting task for Clifton, but they showed great determination in playing for the draw. Denby had some early success and Parkin threatened as he began to exact a lot of turn. However a stubborn stand between Ant Botha (37 not out) and Stuart Apanasewicz resisted the threat as they played out time

Dunstall 252-8 beat Sawley LE Park 152 by 100 runs

Dunstall remain in the hunt with another 27 points, but they cut it fine in this match. Batting first there were good contributions from Matthew Benstead (50), Carl Eyden (45), Phil Simmons (44), and Paul Shaw (30). Sawley’s Richard Lawton took 4-78, but the batting fell short of the target. Skipper Neil Smith (28 not out) stuck it out until the end, but the last wicket fell with 8 balls to go.

Langley Mill 169-3 beat Alvaston & Boulton 168 by 7 wickets

A&B batted into the 47th over but failed to post a testing score. Gareth Davis was their top scorer with 43, but the honours went to Langley Mill’s bowlers Simon Lacey (3-10) and Sam Patel (3-41). The Millers didn’t hang around when they batted and they were home in the 30th over, with Patel making 71, and with seven wickets to spare.

Ockbrook 154-4 beat Ilkeston Rutland 150-9 by 6 wickets

A failure of their early batsmen forced Rutland on the defensive and they struggled for their 55 overs to reach a total which was not likely to threaten Ockbrook’s strong batting line up. George Moulds, in the side principally as a bowler, showed off his improving talent as a batsman, and emerged for the second week as their main scorer with 40 not out. Ockbrook’s young spinner Chris Windmill excelled, taking 4-35. Ockbrook knocked off the required runs in 34.1 overs, with Trevor Smith again shining with the bat in making 53.

Sandiacre Town 278-6 drew with Quarndon 275-7

This was a big score by Sandiacre and they must have fancied their chances to win. However, Quarndon have some outstanding players and on this occasion they almost pulled off a surprise. For Sandiacre there were splendid knocks from Simon Kinselle (91) and Chris Attwood (77), with Naeem Akhtar chipping in with 33. Duncan Player was the most successful of the Quarndon bowlers, taking 4-75, and his contribution didn’t end there because he also batted to good effect in making 54. The outstanding innings of the match was by Gary Myers whose 131 took Quarndon to the brink of a famous victory, and with Johnny Siddall not out on 36 they were just four runs short in the end. Naeem Akhtar was Sandiacre’s star bowler, taking 5-83.

Wirksworth 231-9 drew with Chesterfield 282-5

Another remarkable game which illustrated yet again Wirksworth’s knack of escaping from certain defeat. It was a good team effort as Chesterfield piled on the runs, with important knocks from Alan Gofton (43), Brad Ediriweera (59), Tim Kirk (58 not out) and David Adams (51 not out). Mark Woodward produced a steady spell taking 3-51, but there was one very strange thirteen ball over from Kevin Hunter, which included seven no balls.

Yet when Wirksworth batted Hunter became the hero as he defied the Chesterfield bowling in making 109 not out. At a couple of points in the innings all seemed lost, first when they were reduced to 110-7, and then when they were 138-8. A ninth wicket stand between Hunter and Paul Thompson yielded 64 runs, and when Thompson was out for 36 Hunter found a stout partner in young Leigh Pavitt and they battled their way to a draw and maximum batting points. The game was also a triumph for Chesterfield’s wicket keeper, Paul Burdett, who took five catches.