LINCS ECB Premier: Round-up

There's a big day of cricket in store at Hove

In only their second game in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League, Alford provided the surprise result of the weekend with a nine-run win over last year’s runners-up Grantham.

Batting first at Train Fen Holt, Alford lost two wickets on 19, bringing Matt Keeling and Andrew White together in a stand of 55.

White went on to make 57, his dismissal leaving Alford 123 for five.

Sam Lempard then took over, hitting 42 and a late unbeaten 20 from Nick Bennett took the final score to 203 for nine.

Grantham got off to a better start, Ross Carnelley and James Dobson sharing an opening partnership of 61 but by the time Carnelley was caught off White for 56, Grantham were 114 for four.

From here, Matthew Wing anchored the pursuit, but lost partners at regular intervals to White’s bowling.

Going into the final overs, Grantham were always in sight of victory but the Alford bowlers stuck to their task, White rounding off a man of the match performance by taking the final wicket with the visitors on 196 and three balls of the match to spare.

Wing was left stranded on 53 not out and White ended with five for 51.

At Grimsby Town, Sleaford were bowled out for an unexpectedly low 125, having reached 50 for two.

Jack Harrison and Hayden Tice dismissed the top five batsmen, then skipper Neal Snell chipped in with two wickets.

Harrison Tice’s two overs brought him the wicket of Angus Youles, who had mounted a rearguard action with an innings of 32 and the innings ended with a run out, Harrison taking four for 36 off 14 overs.

Grimsby’s reply got off to a poor start, two wickets falling for just 12 runs, bringing last weekend’s match winner Steve Crossley to the crease to add 42 with Geoff Middleton then partner Hayden Tice in a stand of 51.

However, the next three wickets fell for just six runs, including Crossley for 54, before Jack Harrison and Harrison Tice mounted a rearguard action to take their side to 124.

Harrison was out on this score, leaving Tom Thompson to walk out and hit a winning four off his first ball to win the match.

Bracebridge Heath and Woodhall Spa continue to dominate the league table with a maximum 40 points from two games.

Alex Willerton took six for 33 for Bracebridge as Boston were bowled out for 119, Fayadh Haffejee making 68.

Matt Lineker then hit 50 as the 2016 league champions coasted to an eight wicket win.

A much higher scoring game at Jubilee Park saw Woodhall Spa notch up the day’s highest total of 257 for nine, Ross Dixon with an unbeaten 102 against Spalding who were on better batting form and reached 223 before the final wicket fell, Faisal Javed making 58 and Hafiz Majeed 79.

Dixon took his tally of wickets to 10 from two games with five for 61.

At Bourne, Xante Xipu claimed a six wicket haul as Louth were bowled out for 138, a total the home side knocked off the loss of one wicket, Jordan Temple making his first Premier League half century with an unbeaten 58 and Carl Wilson hitting 52 not out.

Market Deeping suffered early damage at the hands of Lindum’s James Kimber who dismissed the top four batsmen for 37 runs.

Deeping never recovered and the final wicket fell on 60, Lindum knocking off this total for the loss of two wickets.

Results: Market Deeping 60, Lindum 61-2; Boston 119 (Haffejee 68, Willerton 6-33), Bracebridge Heath 122-2 (Lineker 50); Sleaford 125, Grimsby Town 128-7 (Crossley 54); Louth 138 (Xipu 6-40), Bourne 139-1 (Temple 58no, Wilson 52no); Alford 203-9 (A. White 57), Grantham 196 (Carnelley 56, Wing 53no, A. White 5-51); Woodhall Spa 257-9 (Dixon 102no), Spalding 223 (Javed 58, Majeed 79, Dixon 5-61).