A 48-POINT gap to safety is looking an especially big one for bottom club Elvaston after their ninth Beechwood Derbyshire Premier League defeat of the season.

They were comfortably beaten on Saturday by a Sandiacre Town side who never really had to find top gear to cruise to a five-wicket win with nearly 16 overs to spare.

While it should not be forgotten that Elvaston found some unlikely victories – sparked by one against Sandiacre – to pull off a remarkable great escape from relegation last season, the task looks bigger this time and, frankly, there does not seem to be a great belief around the club that it might be possible again.

There were bright spots for Elvaston, especially in defiant innings from Brett Crichton, Ian Hunter and Rob Kettlewell, but their bowlers never looked as if they were going to make 194 a difficult target, even on a pitch offering variable bounce.

It was, it turned out, the driest strip available after a week of rain but it did not make for comfortable batting, as occasional balls shot through at ankle height, nor did the slow pace of it encourage the quicker bowlers.

Potentially, the quickest, Sandiacre's South African Ryan McFadyean, did not even bowl, as he had a calf strain, but James Chapman's medium pace soon had Elvaston in trouble.

Chapman opened with three maidens and, with the last ball of the third of them, bowled Lee Archer.

The first ball of Chapman's next over yorked Simon Lillie but Crichton was comfortable against the hat-trick ball and soon launched a furious assault.

The Australian, who qualifies as English next year, is not currently bowling because of a bad back and, with the bat, seems to have decided aggression is the best policy in any circumstances.

He played an attacking shot at virtually every ball he faced and very entertaining it was, too, as long as it lasted.

John Jordison was picked up over square leg for six, a mishit drive just cleared Rob Attwood for six more off Chapman over long off and fours were also disappearing in all directions.

Crichton lost his captain, Nick Briars, to the latest of Sandiacre's ever-coordinated leg before shouts but carried on regardless and when he cut Jordison for four to bring up Elvaston's 50, he had 37 of them.

Chapman's good start had disappeared by now and Crichton reached 50 out of 77 in farming him for 14 off the 20th over, including a six from a full toss helped on its way over square leg.

A double bowling change ended the carnage, as Crichton hit Andy Marlow's first ball low to Parkin at point, while Parkin began his own spell with three immaculate maidens to Paul Birch, whose frustration led to him holing out at midwicket to leave Elvaston deep in trouble at 82-5 at the halfway mark.

Danny Randle soon hit Parkin tamely to mid on but Hunter, unable to get into the Derbyshire side much this season, played thoroughly well and found a sensible ally in Kettlewell for a stand of 60 that frustrated Sandiacre.

Hunter hit Marlow for a string of fours, bringing up 100 in the 30th over with a sumptuous off-drive, while both batsmen found Akhil Patel's spin appealing, as he conceded 36 in four wayward overs, dropping a return catch offered by Kettlewell along the way.

Parkin still demanded respect, however, and his response to being hit straight for six by Hunter was to take a brilliant diving return catch from the next ball: “Straight into my top 10,” he smiled later.

Well as Kettlwell continued to play, Hunter's departure stalled Elvaston again and Parkin picked up a fourth wicket before Jordison, then Marlow, returned to wrap up the innings.

The biggest task for Sandiacre in reply was to survive lively opening spells from Wheeldon and Hunter.

That proved beyond Chapman, who saw off two maidens from Wheeldon before being comprehensively bowled, but Trueman and Patel soon began to play extremely well.

Trueman fired Wheeldon through the on-side for four and although he edged Hunter to the ropes, he also off-drove the Derbyshire man perfectly for four more.

Patel hit Wheeldon unconvincingly through midwicket for four but two cover drives off the same bowler were out of the top drawer – further evidence that the 18-year-old has the ability to follow his older brother, Samit, into county cricket.

Elvaston tried the all-spin attack of Birch and Kettlewell but it was a crucial moment when Trueman hit Kettlewell straight to midwicket, Hunter dropping a straightforward chance and Trueman celebrating by hitting the next ball over the sightscreen for six.

The Sandiacre skipper passed 50 in a flurry of boundaries and looked in complete control when he lifted a long hop from Birch straight to Randle at midwicket.

He and Patel had put on 91 but Trueman's departure hardly mattered as Attwood, who is looking a more relaxed batsman this season, now added 78 with Patel.

He was lucky when he top-edged Kettlewell gently to fine leg, where Ian Hall dropped an absolute dolly, but most of his innings involved picking the right ball to hit and, by now, a dispirited Elvaston were providing way too many of them.

Attwood finally dragged a ball from Kettlewell back on to his stumps from a foot outside off but Sandiacre were within four runs of victory when Patel lifted Kettlewell for a six and a four off successive balls.

He should have strolled off with a not out to his name but an awful swipe across the line in the same over was a reminder that he is not the finished article yet and it was left, probably fittingly, to Parkin to club the winning boundary.

The combative Parkin's absence, through his teaching duties, has been one of the factors to hold Sandiacre back this season; his presence for the rest of the campaign is going to make them look much more competitive.