Damp weather made it a bowlers’ weekend in the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League – with the exception of the game at Sleaford where three players hit half centuries in a game that produced only seven wickets.
Leaders Bourne were skittled out for 131 by Lindum but Colin Cheer hit back with five wickets as the visitors were all out for only 66.
It was a similar story in the bottom of the table clash at Augusta Street, though this produced a much closer game as Grimsby’s 50 overs ended on 145 for nine. Market Rasen reached 55 for two then 106 for three, at which point a first victory of the season looked a real possibility.
But the Grimsby bowlers stuck to their task and the final Rasen wicket fell on 132 as David Carr returned the day’s best bowling figures of 7-29.
This moved Grimsby up to 10th place, 21 points above Rasen and 11 up on Billingborough who turned in a good bowling and fielding performance to restrict a strong Woodhall Spa side to 172 for five.
Nathan Mill struck with the score on five and Joe Braithwaite claimed the valuable wicket of Malinga Bandara to make it 35 for two. Jonny Cheer hit 25 and Ben O’Brien 24 but the combined attack of slow bowlers Steve Scott and Angus Youles made batting hard work.
On 125 for five, Woodhall were looking at a total around 150 until Jack Hughes joined skipper Jack Luffman in a partnership that took the final score to 172 for five, Luffman making 44.
Connor Parsons then took two wickets and a run out made it 27 for three. From here the Billingborough batsmen had little answer to the Woodhall bowling, only stand-in skipper Scott with 32 putting up much resistance. The final wicket fell on 70, O’Brien taking four wickets and Bandara three in a victory that moved Woodhall up to fourth in the table.
At Spalding, Bracebridge Heath won with just four balls to spare, having made the top score of the day with 192 for nine despite losing their first two wickets for 14 runs. Brett Houston hit 36 but it was the fifth wicket partnership of 76 between Hymie Bentley (46) and Stuart Fraser-Cattanach (28) that set the visitors on the road to victory.
Spalding were 40 for three when Chris Dring joined Josh Newton to add 43 and Newton and Charlie Kearns added 35 for the sixth wicket but when Newton became Matt Bradley’s third victim, stumped on 44 with the score on 137 for eight, only 12 more runs were added, Bradley finishing with 5-24.
Bracebridge are now in second place, just one ahead of Market Deeping for whom Mehul Adatia took three wickets at Sleaford, including Tim McIntosh for 44. Skipper Oliver Burford made an unbeaten 60 to take his side to 187 for five only to see Deeping race to 156 without loss thanks to Chris Jones and Jamie Morgan.
Morgan was run out for 86 but by the time Jones was bowled for 59, only 12 runs were needed for victory which came with 10 overs to spare.
Skegness made it two wins in succession to move away from the bottom three, as Louth were unable to defend a low total. A run out and two victims for Tom Cuthbert reduced the visitors to 37 for three and the introduction of Umar Farooq (5-24) to the attack saw wickets continue to tumble, the final one falling on 101.
Skegness then suffered two early losses but an unbeaten 41 from skipper Norman Brackley saw the seasiders home by seven wickets.