Hucknall seal consecutive wins

Winning the toss on another hot day, Robin Maxwell elected to bat and sent out the sixth different opening pair of the season.

Matt New opened for the first time with Aaron Simpson who edged the third ball of the day from Dave Lucas to the keeper.

From there though it was the batsmen on top as New and Maxwell joined together for an excellent partnership of 176.

Maxwell made a half century off 75 balls (8x4s) giving just one chance, a hard nick down the leg side and New posted his first half century for the club off 82 balls (4x4s). New was lbw for 64 and at 182-2 going into the last 10 overs a big score looked on the cards but it didn’t quite materialise as Radcliffe’s spinners Muhammed Usman and Connor Marshall kept some control.

With a century in sight Maxwell finally fell to Usman, stumped by the proverbial country mile for a season best 86.

Vinay Landa made 21 and Scott Harris 15 but Lucas returned for some easy wickets as the batsmen hit out looking for a big finish. Only 55 came from the last 10 overs so 237 was a little disappointing but nevertheless a defendable total against a side who had yet to make 200 away from home this season.

Having opened with the bat, New now took the new ball and in his first over had Dan Mason taken at slip by Keith Dudgeon who then dismissed Reicko Parker-Cole pulling a short ball straight to Simpson in the leg side. Three more wickets for New saw Radcliffe rocking at 14-5 but then a recovery came from Marshall and Jake Fish. A partnership of 71 gave Hucknall something to think about but it was ended by Adam Scott who won lbw appeals against both.

Joel Wright nipped in for a wicket before New returned to take his first five wicket haul for three years. Dudgeon finished things off by claiming the innings’ fifth lbw and Radcliffe were all out for 117.