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South North and Sully Centurions stake claims
South Northumberland have staked their claim to the 2008 Northern Rock North East Premier League title with five wins in five matches and look set to dominate the competition once more.
Against a strong Blaydon side, two partnerships of Chris Hewison (36) and Adam Cragg (85), and then Cragg with Jimmy Miller (50 not out) - 102 off just 98 balls - took the initiative away from Blaydon as South Northumberland posted 211 for 5 declared.
Then Stephen Humble piled in to take 7-28 as Blaydon were crushed for 82 leaving South Northumberland the victors by 124 runs and every team in the league wondering what they have to do to stop the juggernaut.
Sully Centurions are dominating the South Wales Cricket League once again with five wins out of five for a 43 point lead over second placed St Fagans. Their three wicket win over Usk in a low scoring match was not all plain sailing as Usk were bowled out for 147 and the Centurions responded with a messy middle order collapse but Dave Erskine struck 40 to see the champions home safely.
Barnt Green collected 15 crucial points from their draw against Walsall which has given them a four point lead at the top of the Birmingham & District Premier Division.
Their opponents, who had shared the lead, dropped to fourth, eight points adrift. India and Mumbai leg spinner Sairaj Bahutule has made an immediate impact at Wolverhampton taking 6-48 against Shifnal then scoring an unbeaten 52 - alongside Worcestershire’s Stephen Moore who struck 66 - to lead his side to a four wicket victory.
In the Beechwood Motor Group Derbyshire Premier Cricket League, Ockbrook & Borrowash returned to the top after a winning draw against Dunstall. They scored a bumper 327 for six - including 98 from John Owen and 76 from Matt Lineker - that Dunstall struggled to match, making just 201 for four in 50 overs. Sandiacre Town scooped 27 points from their win at home to Chesterfield thanks to John Jordison's impressive spell of 4-24 which limited the visitors to 148, some 60 runs shy of the target.
Alvaston & Boulton rose to third in the table after a thriller of a finish against Ilkeston who came within two runs of reaching their 194 target.
Although Swardeston lost out to Vauxhall Mallards, they increased their lead at the top of the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier Cricket League to 24 points though it could have been more if Mallard's tailender Martin Addison had not survived three balls to keep the last wicket in tact after his side was reduced to 169 for nine in reply to Swardeston's 207, a total that was was underpinned by a 104 run partnership between George Walker and Richard Sims.
Michael Smith struck an unbeaten 88 to hand Fakenham a draw in their visit to Cambridge Granta while Godmanchester were beaten by 67 runs at Bury.
Kibworth made it five wins in five matches when they beat Stoughton & Thurnby in the Everards Leicestershire Premier Division. It took Kibworth just 27 overs to reach the modest 104 target with Greg Smith continuing his excellent form with an unbeaten half century. Stoughton & Thurnby had been 28 for seven at one stage and the eight wicket defeat could not have been more emphatic.
In another one-sided affair, unbeaten Bracebridge Heath overwhelmed Caistor by 223 runs in the Readers Lincolnshire Cricket Board Premier League to signal their intent for the 2008 season. Mark Fell hit seven sixes and 27 fours - and was dropped twice - on his way to 181 allowing his captain to declare with six wickets down and a bumper 350 on the board. Faced with such an intimidating task, Caistor crumbled with Lincolnshire pace bowler Stuart Airey taking 5-28.
Bran Simms scored an unbeaten 102 to steer his side Stone to an eight wicket victory over Waterworld North Staffordshire & South Cheshire League leaders Burslem. James Dawson also chipped in with 73 as Stone cruised to 206 for two in reply to Burslem's 205 for eight.
The victory had no bearing on positions at the top of the league with Burslem still ahead of second placed Leek who posted a six wicket defeat over last years champions Audley. West Indian star Tino Best took 3-48 while Richard Cooper inflicted damage from the other end with 3-37.
Pontblyddyn captain Glenn Chambers led from the front to send leaders Llandudno packing in the Readers Romida North Wales Cricket League. After winning the toss, he hit 87 from 123 balls, shadowing a superb innings from Sri Lankan Charles Fernando who blasted 94 from just 49 balls. And then in a devastating spell of bowling, Chambers took 7-35 in 15 overs to restrict the champions to 159 all out giving Pontblyddyn a formidable win by 113 runs. Despite that, Llandudno remain top with Menai Bridge second after their 69 run win over St Asaph.
Northamptonshire Cricket Academy, skippered by David Ripley posted a last ball win over Northampton Saints CC to establish a six point lead in the Hevey Building Supplies Northamptonshire Cricket League.
Alec Swann, brother of England all-rounder Graeme, scored 25 to get the Saints up and running and there were valuable contributions from Richard Ashton (41) and Chris Park (30) but the 183 total looked short of a winning one until Brent Findlay got to work on the Academy side with 4-36 and reduced them to 134 for eight.
A ninth wicket partnership of 43 between Daniel Bendon and Shaun Bailey took them to within sight of their target, still needing seven runs when Bailey was run out, leaving Bendon and skipper Ripley to score the winning run off the last ball. Defending champions Finedon Dolben hover in third place with three wins and two draws from their first five matches.
The top of the Notts Premier League is already a close run thing with Caythorpe returning to the summit with two wins in three days. Against Gedling Colliery, Leon Botha (67) and Jimmy Hindson (52) set up a three wicket win despite Nish Waduge's stylish 98.
Hindson triumphed again two days later making 42 and taking 3-60 against Cuckney CC though it was former pro Russell Warren who stole the show with 102 from 138 balls to set up a six wicket victory.
The top of the Right Move Abroad Cheshire County Cricket League is already proving a tense affair with Bowdon passing Alderley Edge over the weekend to move to the top with a seven point advantage.
Their eight wicket win over Chester Boughton Hall came despite a knock of 110 from their captain Steve Ogilvy but ex-Lancashire player Gareth Cross (97), Steve Bull (74) and Carl Hay pushed Bowdon past the 242 target.
Gary Wells is set to become the first batsman in the Business Assistance (NW) Liverpool and District Cricket Competition to pass the 500 run mark. A sensational return to cricket for the Fleetwood Hesketh batsman, following a season out, has seen him make 383 runs from six matches with an average of 95.75.
After eight matches, Ormskirk lead the Liverpool league with six wins and a draw under their belt including the latest win, a six wicket victory over Fleetwood Hesketh where opener Wells uncharacteristically made just two. New left arm spinner Simon Kerrigan took an impressive 5-51.
3D Sports Northern Premier League leaders Leyland won batting second for the first time this season as they overhauled Barrow’s total of 210 for seven at Fox Lane.
Barrow professional Pasan Wanasinghe hit his first century of the season and finished 100 not out including seven fours and six sixes. But Leyland professional Ameer Khan steered his side to their target with an unbeaten 81 off only 69 balls, including 12 fours and two sixes, with good support from Karl Cross (46) and Andrew Makinson (32 not out).
Former England Under 19 batsman Alex Morris hit three sixes and seven fours for a brisk 66 to give Barnsley an easy eight wicket victory against Doncaster in the The Oxbridge Yorkshire ECB County Premier League.
Paul Silverster and Luke Townsend both made half centuries as Doncaster made 210 in their 55 overs but their bowlers had no answer to Morris and Simon Widdup and the target was reached in 47.1 overs for the loss of just two wickets.
St Just made it five wins out of five in the Jolly Drinks Cornwall Premier League with a 113 run win at St Austell. Werrington won their first game with a 57 run success at Paul and two other games had nail biting finishes. Falmouth won in the penultimate over by just one wicket at Truro and Grampound Road also won by one wicket at Newquay with just three balls to spare
Budleigh Salterton lie just five points behind Plympton as the race for honours in the Francis Clark Devon Cricket League starts to heat up. Steve Spoljaric hit an unbeaten century to make sure that Exeter's 239 for four was easily overhauled in a seven wicket victory.
Sidmouth put in an emphatic performance against Sandford after Will Murray took 7-33 to restrict the home side to 132. Anthony Griffiths (41) and Joshua Bess (68) gave the visitors a convincing victory with 27 overs still remaining.
Bad weather interrupted proceedings in the Shepherd Neame Essex Premier League as Wanstead attempt to maintain their lead at the top. Their match against Saffron Walden had to be abandoned after 31 overs of play but against second placed Upminster, they recorded a 45 run win thanks to a half century from opener John Chambers and a positive knock from Shahid Saeed (76). Wanstead made 248 for eight in 64 overs but Upminster could only muster 203 in reply.
Chasing 178 to beat Oxford, Banbury made 173 for eight to eke out a draw for third place in the hotly competitive Home Counties Premier League. Needing 12 off two overs with five wickets in hand, Banbury looked like certain winners but a sixth wicket partnership between Jaimie Noble and Luke Ryan faltered with a run out which triggered a late order collapse leaving Ian Hawtin needing six off the final ball which he was unable to achieve.
Gore Court have made a fine start to the 2008 season and they picked up another 20 points from their Shepherd Neame Kent Cricket League match against Beckenham who suffered another feeble batting collapse to crash to a 16 run defeat.
Neil Dexter made 83 to give Gore Court a solid foundation for their 196 total and despite an opening partnership of 84, Beckenham were all out for 180, the last seven wickets falling for 50 runs. Adeel Hussain took the bowling award with a well-earned 5-47.
Havant have started 2008 where they left off in 2007 with four wins from four matches in the Southern Electric Premier Cricket League but there was a feeling that the third placed Hampshire Academy might give them a run for their money. It was not to be as Lawrence Prittipaul enjoyed his old Rose Bowl stomping ground to make 135 from 127 balls steering Havant to 273 for eight. Liam Dawson started well in reply but the Academy lost their last eight wickets for 130 and subsided to 211 all out with seven overs left.
Reigate Priory took ten points from their seven wicket win against Sunbury in the Shepherd Neame Surrey Championship to go nine points ahead of Dulwich who lost to Wimbledon by 82 runs. Ian Hewett (3-21) and Jonathan Gale (3-23) did all the hard work for Reigate leaving the way clear for the batsmen to reach the modest 162 target, which was achieved in 33.3 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Hastings moved from seventh to third in the Shepherd Neame Sussex Cricket League after their seven wicket win over Horsham despite a huge 170 run first wicket partnership between Chris Nash and Michael Thornely who both struck hundreds. Horsham proved incapable of defending their 287 total and Hastings achieved victory with five overs to spare, James Beeney, Adam Maharaj-Newman and Jason Finch all scoring half centuries. Horsham's one point lead at the top of the table over Chichester Priory makes for an exciting next round.
Unbeaten and averaging over 28 points per game, Bath were convinced they would have their work cut out in the Globe Sports West of England Premier League match against a strong Cheltenham side but the match was over in a blink of an eye as Cheltenham collapsed to 72 all out with Lloyd Davies taking 4-19 and Bath rattling up the requisite runs in just 14 overs. Frocester won a tense struggle against Downend to strengthen their third place.
