May cricket ruined by washouts as heavens open
by Alan Rowley, 2nd June 2007

The gloroius sunny April weather finally broke mid-May as the heavens opened. It was the Sunday games that took the full force of the weather with two Sundays, the 13th and 27th, being completely washed out. Unfortunately, the 13th was the first of the Derbyshire County Cricket League double headers and only one game, at Clowne Town got underway, but this game lasted no more than 19 overs before the rain finally won the day.

When the month ended, six games had been played in the Derbyshire Premier League and, surprising, Spondon sit 20 points clear at the top of the table. Highlight of their month was a superb victory over local rivals, and current champions, Ockbrook and Borrowash, which left the champions trailling in fifth place, a whopping 44 points behind the leaders.

Skipper Sam Kellogg led from the front for Spondon with 63 runs, hitting five fours and two sixes. Kellogg went in at five with the score on 69 for 3, and when he departed Spondon had moved on to 181 for 6. Ockbrook were never in the game, thanks to a fine spell from Ben Ashdown who returned figures of 5 for 37 as the champs crashed by 77 runs.

In second place are Quarndon - a team who often threaten to do well, but fail to deliver. Could 2007 be their season? Former Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire man Matt Dowman leads the batting for Quarndon with 325 runs, closely followed by Billy Bagshawe on 311 runs.

Bagshawe's highlight of the season so far was a magnificent 153 (22 fours and 2 sixes) against Ockbrook at The Common. Quarndon posted a whopping 322 for 7 from their 50 overs, but Ockbrook skipper Matt Cassar (pictured right) put up a brave resistance, carrying his bat for an unbeaten 149. Ockbrook's reply fell 58 runs short to secure Quarndon the winning draw.

Sandiacre Town are a team written off by so many people prior to the start of the season, but they are currently defying crictics as they sit in third place in the table, just ahead of Dunstall. At the foot of the table, newcomers Elvaston are struggling, but more surprising is the performance of Clifton who are rock bottom following an horrendous campaign so far.

Batting heroics for the month go to Uttoxeter's Ian Bailey who has blasted an astonishing 620 runs from only four innings for the second eleven. His 205 not out from 324 in the Division 7 West game against Draycott and Hanbury at the Racecourse Ground allowed his team to declare on 324 for 5, after 39 overs. Not surprisingly, the visitors got nowhere near, despite 55 from opener Simon Staley. Simon Cooper's 5 for 11 ensured the visitors were defeated by a huge 187 runs.

Clowne Town's Ben Holmes (pictured left) leads the fifty scorers with a fifty in every innings so far this season. Despite his good starts to his innings, Holmes has so far failed to capitalise and his top score remains on 65 scored against Division 3 North league leaders Ilkeston Rutland 2nds.

Leading wicket taker at this early stage is Etwall's Darren Ashmole, with 21 wickets, closely followed by Ticknall's Rizwan Akbar on 20. Akbar has been tipped as likely to top the wicket takers at the end of the season and no-one from luckless Duffield will want to argue. In their game at The Grange, Akbar removed seven Duffield batsmen for only 38 runs, with only Mark Antill offering any resistance as the visitors were skittled for 148, 155 runs behind the Ticknall total.

Akbar's performance in the Ilkeston Rutland game at the Rutland Sports Park was just as devastating. His 6 for 29, in a miserly Rutland total of 65, included three bowled and three leg befores. Ticknall finish May on top of the County League, three points clear of Rutland in second place.

Without doubt, the most amazing performance so far this season has to go to young Ashley Spendlove. The 13 year old leg-spinner plays for Meadows' third team in Division Seven North and in the game against Alfreton fourths, the youngster grabbed a mind boggling 9 for 11 in 6.3 overs. His spell included five wickets in five balls and seven wickets in nine balls. Meadows skipper Graham Bakel said: "I have never seen anything like it. He was turning it square and, as he kept getting them out, we could have timed out one of them but we said it didn't matter because Ashley would get him - and he did." Ashley told the Derby Evening Telegraph: " I started off bowling medium pace but I hurt my back playing rugby. The doctors said I would have to bowl spin or not play. The first ball I tried, I got a wicket, so I thought, 'this is ok.' You dream about things like this and I guess it was just my day."

The Yorkshire and Derbyshire League Division One table has a surprising look about it with last year's run away champions Stanton In The Peak languishing just above the relegation places. It's last season's runners up Sheffield Works Department who lead the way in 2007. With five wins so far, SWD are nine points clear of second placed Holmesfield, with a tidy 19 point gap opening up to third placed Ashford In The Water.

Star player for SWD is undoubtably Brad Sampson, who has already taken 34 wickets this season. In the Stocksbridge game played at the Olive Grove, Sampson grabbed eight wickets at a cost of only 20 runs, as the visitors slumped to 57 all out and a 133 run defeat.

The only team to have lowered SWD's colours this season are five times champions Hundall who beat the leaders by 25 runs, also at the Olive Grove. That man Sampson followed a four wicket haul with 23 runs with the bat before he was bowled by Phil Yardy, who was the star for Hundall taking five wickets for 65 runs.

Over in Nottinghamshire, Papplewick and Linby lead the way in the Premier League, fifteen points ahead of Clifton Village, with pre-season favourites Caythorpe back in third. The leaders most thrilling game came at Hosiery Mills when the Mansfield side almost pulled off an unlikely victory. Batting first, Mills scored 179 for 6, thanks mainly to 58 from Nick Langford. In reply, Papplewick slumped to 137 for 9 before Richard Arberry and Wasim Rana put on an undefeated last wicket stand of 43 to see the visitors home by one wicket.

Notts Unity Casuals are already way adrift of the pack at the foot of the table and are already looking likely to slip down the the South Notts League. With only one losing draw, against Kimberley Institute, to show from six games, Unity are 21 points behind Retford Cricket and Sports.

Clifton Village's Richard Harris leads the way in the run scoring department with 408 runs at an average of 81.6. Papplewick's Phil De Freitas takes second spot with 321 runs with Kimberley's Mick Blatherwick (pictured right) third on 308 runs. Leading wicket taker is Welbeck Colliery's Jonathan Ball, who has already picked up three 5-fors in his 19 wicket haul. In second place are Wollaton's Paul McMahon and Killamarsh's David Adams who each have 15 wickets to their name.

In the South Nottinghamshire Cricket League, Calverton Colliery continue to lead the way, just ahead of Plumtree. At the foot of the table, Eastwood Town and Newstead Abbey and Village are already slipping behind the pack and will need to improve their performances if they are to maintain their places in the top division. Eastwood can consider themselves particularly unlucky as they had Calverton on the rack before bad light forced an abandonement of their game at The Breach.

With Calverton almost slipping on a Breach banana skin, Plumtree will be rubbing their hands and targetting the 2008 Notts Premier League. Former Pakistani Test star Naved Latif wasted no time in getting amongst the wickets for Plumtree. He is a bowler to fear playing at this standard.

Cuckney continue to set the pace in the Bassetlaw League, eight points clear of Kiveton Park. Cutthorpe sit in third place as these three remain unbeaten this season. Cuckney's overseas Richard Stroh continues to pick up wickets and score valuable runs, but Kiveton Park's Sri Lankan Harsha Cooray is bound to make an impression with his off breaks. Cutthorpe appear to be running into form, and with Andy Thompson performing well with the bat and Asadullah Butt amongst the wickets, they could well threaten the leading two.

At the foot of the table, Bridon and Worksop occupy the relegation spots, but in a particluarly tight looking league, it's too early to write anyone off. Worksop can take some heart in keeping out the Cuckney attack to hold on for a draw, and some valuable points. They won't go down without a fight.

The Mansfield and District Sunday League suffered badly from two complete washouts during the month, but Hosiery Mills maintain their position at the top of the table, clear of Sheffield Works and Underwood. Kirkby Portland are in bottom position, just behind Blidworth and Glapwell, but like the Bassetlaw, this is a tight division.

Believe it or not, a third of the 2007 season is almost over and, with the longest day only three weeks away, the all too short cricket season is already slipping away. With the cup competitions about to get underway, all fingers will be crossed hoping that June will be hot and sunny.