Brear and Bailey battle for League record
by Alan Rowley, 30th May 2004

The County League record for the most runs in a season is again in danger of being beaten by Heanor Town's Andy Brear. With a third of the season gone, Brear currently has more than 600 runs to his name, but Langley Mill's Paul Bailey is closing in fast and could throw down a serious challenge to top the record.

Brear, who started last season in similar cavalier style, already has four hundreds to his name. By his own admission, his form tailed off badly last season, and despite blazing away on poor tracks early on, he ended with1,195 runs, well short of Neil Sparham's record 1,378 set in 1996, also for Heanor Town.

This season, Brear confesses to feeling more confident than he did last season, and if his form holds out this time, he will be a strong favourite to smash the record.

Andy Brear - confident

Paul Bailey - dark horse

Langley Mill's Paul Bailey could be a dark horse in the race to the record. Despite the Millers first two games being washed out, Bailey is already making up for lost time. Following 228 runs last weekend, 129 of them in the cup, Bailey thrashed another unbeaten ton at Station Road yesterday. He has now notched up 336 runs in his last three innings without losing his wicket.

With the local rivals' top batsmen in such devastating form,there could be fireworks at the Town Ground on Sunday 13th June when Heanor entertain the Millers.

Full results from Saturday's Derbyshire Premier and County Leagues

Over the border, the highest run total in the Nottinghamshire Premier could also be at threat from former Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire batsman Paul Pollard. The Kimberley opener was in scintillating form again yesterday as Kimberley raced past a formidable looking Retford score of 275.

Paul Pollard - scintillating

Michael Blatherwick - stranded

Pollard's third league ton of the season takes him well on the way to topping the league record of 1,097 which has stood since the first year of the Premier League in 1999. Despite being dropped a couple of times, Pollard, aided by former skipper Michael Blatherwick, steered Kimberley to 279 for 1 to pass Retford's 275 for 4 with almost seven overs to spare. Blatherwick was left stranded on 98 not out as the pair showed no mercy to an experienced Retford attack.

Kimberley have now opened up a 20 point lead over second placed Collingham who produced the shock of the day with a nail-biting one wicket victory over champions West Indian Cavaliers, despite Dominic Williamson's 75. Cavs have now sunk to sixth in the Premier table, 41 points behind the runaway leaders.

Saturday's results from the Nottinghamshire Premier League