Derbyshire Premier League match reports - 17/08/02

Ockbrook 309-4 dec beat Wirksworth 141 by 168 runs

Wirksworth won the toss and decided to put Ockbrook in no doubt in the hope of being able, at worst, to play out for a draw. In the event it back-fired on them because Ockbrook posted a mammoth score and declared to give themselves ten extra overs, if needed to bowl them out. The base for this score was established in a fourth wicket stand of 214 between skipper Dave Hallack and Dave Wood. Hallack was 93 not out and Wood made 116 which included thirteen fours and five sixes. In one over he hit 27 runs off Steven Lowe. Hallack was also in punishing mood, hitting ten fours and three sixes. The best of the Wirksworth bowlers was Israr Adalat who took 3-27.

The declaration came in the 45th over, so Ockbrook had 65 overs to dismiss Wirksworth. In fact they were all out in 30.5 overs, well short of their target. They never recovered from a devastating spell from Ian Darlington who captured all of the first five wickets to fall, ending with 5-45. There was some consolation for Wirksworth in the innings of Kevin Hunter, who stood firm while the wickets tumbled around him. He scored 66 and was eighth man out, a gem of an innings. This win extends Ockbrook’s lead at the top.

Langley Mill 117 lost to Dunstall 247-6 by 130 runs

The Dunstall innings was dominated by the Benstead brothers, with Matthew, the younger, scoring 88 and Jamie 55. Best bowling for the Millers came from Rahim Karim who took 4-49. Langley Mill were shot out for another low score, the damage being done by Steve Scrimshaw (4-21) and Martin Clewley (4-42).The 27 points gained boosts their points total, and they are now only three points behind Sandiacre.

Denby 208-5 drew with Sandiacre Town 273-3

Batting first Sandiacre also had their sights on 27 points. Their batsmen were in prime form with good knocks from John Trueman (79) and Ian Hopkins (63), before Imi Ahmed (63 not out) and Rob Attwood (35 not out) bolstered up the score in a fourth wicket stand. Denby proved to be a difficult nut to crack. Ian Parkin was back in form, scoring 77 and skipper Stuart Poplar was still there at the end on 67 not out. Best bowling for Sandiacre was by Irfan Ul Haq (4-69).

Chesterfield 184-7 lost to Quarndon 185-6 by 4 wickets

This was a close match, with Quarndon having the benefit of chasing a moderate score. David Adams played a captain’s part for Chesterfield in carrying his bat for 68 not out and Quarndon’s captain responded by taking 3-40. This win keeps Quarndon in the chasing pack, but still remote from the top three leaders of this League

Alvaston & Boulton 279-5 drew with Ilkeston Rutland 241-4

This was a good winning draw for A&B and it helps to steer them well away from the bottom relegation spot. Batting first they took advantage of a good pitch to post a challenging score. Skipper Darren Pooley decided to promote himself to opener, which was a wise move because he has been batting well down the order, and so it proved because he set the standard with a good score of 78. There was able support from Mohammed Ayub with 58 and Anthony Woolley who was 74 not out. Ian Banks was the most successful of the Ilkeston bowlers taking 4-68.In their reply Ilkeston fell behind the required run rate, but it was a solid team effort with valuable contributions from Matt Boyer (37) and Martin Green (34), and for the fifth wicket Martin Brandrick was 76 not out and Stewart Edge 30 not out. Veteran Steve Ottewell took three of the wickets to fall for 59 runs.

Clifton 200-8 drew with Sawley 179-9

A frustrating day for Clifton because they failed to separate Sawley’s last pair, but a draw benefited both sides. It kept Clifton well clear of the relegation zone and enabled Sawley to climb nearer to safety. Top scorers for Clifton, who batted first, were Kamran Afzaal (52) and Liaqat Ali (30), with Sawley’s Rashid Shafayat taking 3-52.In their reply Sawley were well served by Sean Polley (41) and Ahmed Gondal (31), and for Clifton Liaqat Ali took 3-34 and Ant Botha 3-47, but they failed to prise out the last stand which survived for three overs.