Hosiery Mills relegated from NPL on final day

Mansfield Hosiery Mills tumbled through the relegation trapdoor from the NCB Premier League when they were only able to secure a losing draw at home to Kimberley Institute.
Matt New bowls for Mansfield Hosiery MillsMatt New bowls for Mansfield Hosiery Mills
Matt New bowls for Mansfield Hosiery Mills

After winning the toss and inviting the visitors to bat first, MHM celebrated an early breakthrough, but not much more.

A 131-run stand for the second wicket between Sam Johnson (72) and Tom Rowe (61) set the platform for Dominic Brown to blast 84 not out from 68 balls as Institute totalled 273-6, Matt Wright’s 3-78 being the bright spot.

With a win required, Ben Savage and George Bacon combined to take the chance away from MHM, the pair combining to reduce the Millers to 99-8, Savage claiming 5-55 and Bacon 3-54.

Kieron Garside top-scored with an unbeaten 37 as the final pair put on 46 for the last week to secure the draw.

However, regardless of any other results the six points were not enough to avoid the drop.

Ordsall Bridon took survival matters into their own hands with a comfortable seven wicket win at Rolls Royce Leisure.

Bridon won the toss and put Rolls in, for whom Gurpej Landa with 59 and Tom Lungley with 44 found themselves handily placed at 205-6.

However, once Landa fell, the final four wickets added a further 25 to set Bridon a target of 231. Tim Miles took4-46, with Matt Makings claiming 3-39 and Aqab Ahmed 2-52.

They set about the chase with relish, Paul van den Huevel hitting 43 from an opening stand of 175 as Tim Miles tore into Rolls’ bowling.

Miles made 152 from just 104 balls, smacking 14 fours and 12 sixes, as Ordsall cruised to their target in the 34th over.

Welbeck Colliery were the other team in danger of the drop, but like Ordsall did their own favours by beating Radcliffe-on-Trent at Sookholme by six wickets.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat, their total of 206 for eight being built around Ben Carr’s 81, Jake Fish adding 37 as the pair put on 76 for the fourth wicket.

Andrew Marchant, with 5-58, took the bowling honours for the Colliers.

The chase was led by Andrew Parkin-Coates and Matt Cross, who combined in a third wicket partnership worth 149.

Parkin Coates carried his bat for 66 runs while Cross hit 101 from 85 balls as victory was sealed in the 42nd over. Tom Crosse’s 3-33 was the bright light for Radcliffe’s bowlers.

At the PCG, champions Cuckney didn’t appear to be suffering too much of a hangover as they reduced Plumtree to 60-6, Tom Driver (3-55) and Lewis Bramley (4-70) giving the hosts plenty to ponder.

Ben Thompson’s 54 galvanised the tail and, despite Nic Geisler claiming 3-26, Plumtree were able to reach 203.

Cuckney never looked in danger of getting close. Matt Milnes grabbed 4-30 and Bobby Gamble 5-16 as Plumtree took victory by 114 runs.

West Indian Cavaliers made sure of a third place finish with a stroll in Birchover Park against Caythorpe.

Cavs took the toss and asked the visitors to bat. The Caythorpe innings was a story of two scores. The opening pair looking largely untroubled as they took the score to 59, but when Martyn Dobson fell for 31 it triggered a burst of four wickets for no runs.

A mini revival took the total to 86 before another burst of 4-0 meant the innings would end before the late arriving Ben Powell could get to the ground.

Ex-Caythorpe player, Kafeel Shafique, was the star with the ball, returning figures of 8.1 overs, four maidens, four for six.

Veteran Saqlain Mushtaq grabbed 3-17 and Gemaal Hussain picked up the other two wickets. Usman Afzaal (62) and Paldip Sidhu (26) then knocked off the 92 runs required as Caythorpe ended the season in fifth.

The NCB Academy ended the season in fourth after they ran out winners over Clifton Village at Clifton.

Martin Weightman, with 51, and Alastair Walters, with an unbeaten 32, led the Villagers to 197 all out after they elected to bat.

Connor Marshall led the Academy attack with four for 42, while Luke Wood and Adam Tillcock both grabbed a couple of wickets.

Academy reached their 198 run target in the 39th over of their innings, the comfortable seven-wicket margin being built on the back of second wicket stand of 121, shared by Jake Libby, who finished not out on 90, and Hassan Azad, who made 59.