Lullington sneak it as locals keep flag flying in Cockspur

THE Derbyshire flag is still flying high in the Cockspur Cup after all three remaining local sides reached their respective regional group finals.

Ockbrook & Borrowash and Sandiacre Town both went through comfortably enough on Sunday – but Lullington Park had to survive a late batting collapse before edging home by one wicket against Himley.

HIGH FLYER: Ockbrook & Borrowash pace bowler Oliver Saffell is airborne as he fires a delivery at a Wickerlsey Old Village batsman in Sunday's Cockspur Cup tie at Victoria Avenue, which Ockbrook won by 167 runs.

Ockbrook were in merciless form at home to Wickersley Old Village, following their frustration at not being able to get a league game in on Saturday.

Matt Cassar hit 140, Matt Lineker 77 and Johnny Owen 60 as they piled up 298-3 from their 45 overs.

The visitors were never in with a shout at getting those and were bowled out for 131.

Lian Wharton polished them off with 4-18 from six overs.

Sandiacre were staring at a big target away to West Indian Cavaliers when the Nottingham side were 150-1 from 25 overs. But John Trueman took four wickets as Cavaliers slipped to 208 all out.

There was controversy at 60-4 in Sandiacre's reply when Cavaliers thought they had run out Ian Parkin and one of the umpires, from Leeds, removed the stumps with a view to abandoning the game at one point after being verbally abused..

Trueman took his team off the field until the situation clamed down, before Parkin and Chris Seale took over with the bat.

Parkin hit 77 not out (“the best he's batted for us,” said Trueman) and Seale 69 not out as they won by five wickets.

Lullington, at home to Himley, looked to have done the biggest part of the job when they bowled the visitors out for 160 with four balls of the 45 overs left.

Without the contribution of number eight batsman Stuart Wedge, who hit 44 while guiding his side from 69-6 to 155-9, Himley would have been in a bigger mess.

Danny Gough was the most effective Lullington bowler, taking 2-16 from nine overs.

Gough then hit 26 and Andy Goodwin 45 as the reply cruised to 102-2. Richard Green added 32 and at 143-4, with 18 to get, Lullington should have been comfortably home.

Instead, they contrived to lose five wickets while adding only 17 runs before last man Paul Dawson pushed a single for victory off the fifth ball of the last over.