Plumtree started their top of the table clash with leaders Cuckney as second place and that is where they finished after a comprehensive 114 run defeat in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.
The Plums found themselves second best in most departments, which made winning the toss little consolation. Having been asked to bat first, the Cuckney innings moved steadily to 100 for three, with Adam Burgess making 45. William Butler made a solid 50, partnering with Nick Langford (34) in stand of 56, then Lewis Bramley to add 52 for the fifth wicket.
Bramley finished 61 not out from just 34 balls as Cuckney closed their innings on 258 for six. Muhammad Usman led the Plumtree bowlers with 3-64. Plumtree’s reply never got going, and was in disarray early as only Joseph Tetley, batting at three, was able to offer any resistance. He finished 55 not out as they were dismissed for 144 in 37 overs. David France finishing with figures of 4-24 and Lewis Bramley 3-50.
Clifton Village sat third in the table at the start of the days play at Lady Bay, where there NCB Academy hosts won the toss and opted to bowl. After a solid opening stand of 55 and a fine 42 from Caleb Mierkalns, the Villagers found themselves 94 for one.
From here the innings became the Tillcock and Tong show. Adam Tillcock first reducing the innings to 105 for four, before Jake Tong joined in the fun, both bowlers finishing up with five wicket hauls as Clifton were dismissed for 184 in 49 overs, Tong taking 5-34 and Tillcock 5-55.
The Academy’s opening pair also put on 50 for the first wicket, but the side had an altogether more serene passage in their run chase. After a minor flutter that saw them 94 for three, Brett Hutton joined opener Anuj Dal at the crease and the pair combined in an unbroken stand worth 92 to see the County side home by seven wickets with nine overs to spare. Dal finished with 64 not out and Hutton 60 not out.
Fourth visited fifth at Caythorpe as the West Indian Cavaliers came calling. Caythorpe won the toss and chose to bat first, openers Martyn Dobson and James Hawley combining to frustrate the Cavs attack as they compiled a patient stand of 169 before Hawley was first to go, caught, for 81.
Dobson followed 45 runs later for 86. Cavs would pick up two further late wickets as Caythorpe finished on 226 for four, Usman Afzaal finishing with 3-39.
The reply got off to an interesting start as Akhil Patel made a first ball duck off the third delivery of the innings, the first two were wide. By the time skipper Bilal Shafayat joined Paldip Sidhu at the crease, the Cavaliers were three down for 51 and looking in trouble.
Shafayat went on the offensive, making 67 from 63 balls as the pair added 91 for the fourth wicket and looked to be leading their side to the win. Jim Hindson felt it was time to intervene, removing Shafayat with another superb caught and bowled.
Sidhu went shortly after for a patient 47, before another caught and bowled saw Gada come and go first ball. The tail then folded as Caythorpe secured the 34 run win that lifts them into second in the table.
Welbeck Colliery travelled to Radcliffe-on-Trent with an undefeated away record and looking to continue Radcliffe’s winless run but Eddie Torr and David Lucas had other ideas and in a torrid opening spell, reduced their visitors to 19 for four, a perfect start having invited them to bat.
Jonathan Ball teamed with Richard Stroh to attempt a salvage operation, and having added 73, looked to be doing the job. Both would feature in another flurry of wickets, Ball having reached his 50. Jake Ball made an unbeaten 40 as he marshalled the tail, Welbeck reaching 139 all out with eight overs unused.
Eddie Torr finished with a haul of 5-42, supported by Usman Muzaffars 3-33. Radcliffe found themselves in their own spot of bother as Jake Ball’s three early wickets helped reduce them to 25 for four. Ball finished with 3-46 as no further wickets fell, Josh Mierkalns (53) and David Lucas (64) compiling a match winning, unbroken stand of 118 to secure the home side their first win of the season.
Rolls Royce Leisure made the journey to Ordsall Bridon looking to get their season back on the rails after a run of winless matches dropped them down the table. Reducing their hosts to 94 for four after inviting them to bat first would have looked like a solid step on the ladder but debutant Sufian Munir and James Brice had other plans, the pair adding 111 for the fifth wicket, before Munir fell for 91.
Brice went on to combine with Henry Appleyard (35 not out) to add a further 66, before he fell for 67. Ordsall’s 273 for six looking like it would be a stiff target. That it proved ultimately not to be the case was largely down to one man. Dan Birch capitalised on an opening stand of 50, to join Shaun Levy at the crease, adding 123 for the 2nd wicket, Levy being run out for 68 with the total 176 for two.
Birch carried on and despite the loss of a further three wickets in taking the score to 219, finally partnered with Michael Millwood to add the required 55 further runs for victory. Rolls won the match by five wickets with six overs to spare and Birch finished unbeaten on 131 from just 95 balls.
Mansfield Hosiery Mills travelled to Kimberley Institute still in search of a first victory this season. It seems the 2bm Ground was the cure for what ails them. Having been put into bat, the Millers found it slow going as they lost wickets at regular intervals on their way to 112 for five.
Keshara Jayasinghe provided some impetus to the innings, his 27 balls faced producing an unbeaten 40 to go with the 78 runs Matt New compiled in carrying his bat through all 50 overs in an innings that closed with the score on 196 for five.
The Kimberley reply was dominated by one man but sadly for the home side, that man was an escapee from the Institute. Matt Wright took wickets early and often on his way to figures of 7-42 from 13.5 overs, with four maidens. George Bacon with 42 the only batsman to provide any major resistance, alongside Alex King with whom he shared in a stand of 58 for the eighth wicket. Kimberley were all out in the 45th over for 133.