ILKESTON Rutland captain Dave Smit described his side's defeat as a “big setback” after a run of improved form had seen them climb the Beechwood Derbyshire Premier League table ahead of Saturday's game.

“It's a big setback and very disappointing because I really felt we were going to win this one,” said Smit, whose side had beaten Chesterfield in the Derbyshire Premier Cup six days before.

“It only takes a couple of bad results to be dragged back into the dogfight again but we never really got going in the field.

“They got off to a good start and we could never really peg them back after that.

“I was thinking maybe 270 would be a good score on there but I was still fairly happy that we could contain them after we got 249.

“Instead, we were chasing the game all the time and the last two batsmen played it well in the end.

“I just think we were a bit below par all game. They played decently but we weren't quite there.

“We knew when we went out to field that there were two or three we had to get out and, if we could have got them, even if they had been in a good position, we'd have been well in the game.

“A couple of things didn't go our way but you make your own luck and we didn't deserve the luck with the way we played.”

Smit (pictured) was left only with the quality of Kevin Leatherday's century, his fourth of the season, to take away from the game as a positive.

“Kev is a machine. He's what we've needed for ages, someone who can bat through the innings, nothing flashy, just consistent, and get us a hundred,” added Smit.