Club cricket: Bowlers on top and Dean best of all as Ockbrook win again

WITH wickets still fresh from the week's wet weather, bowlers had much the better of Saturday's Beecwhood Derbyshire Premier League matches.

Only two sides topped 200 and Ockbrook & Borrowash's 200-9 at home to Lullington Park was enough to see them extend their early lead in the table to 18 points.

Matt Lineker made 54 and Matt Cassar 47 as Ockbrook battled to what would prove a formidable total for Lullington, for whom spinner Paul Dawson did his best to keep the score down with 5-49.

In reply, Lullington had no answer to former Derbyshire seamer Kevin Dean as the collapsed to 118 all out.

Andy Goodwin battled to 47 for the visitors but Dean took 6-25 and, undoubtedly, it will not be the last game he wins for Ockbrook this season.

They have familiar pursuers in second place after Sandiacre Town also picked up maximum points, collecting the day's highest score, 229-8, against Aston-on-Trent.

Dan Birch finished 55 not out, with 48 from Anthony Woolley and thirties for James Chapman and John Trueman.

The Sandiacre bowlers were soon able to exploit Aston's tendency to collapse, with Chapman the main beneficiary, as he finished with a remarkable 5-2. John Jordison also took 3-17 and the innings was wrapped up for 76 – one more than the previous week's total – in 24.3 overs.

Alfreton fell three runs short of beating Ilkeston Rutland in a cracking game at the Rutland Sports Park, Ilkeston claiming the winning draw.

Carl Pengelly top-scored with 45 for Ilkeston as they made 166-8, Jon Clarke and Tom Young collecting three wickets each.

Alfreton's reply also ended with eight wickets down, but on 164, with John Aspinall and Andy Gwatkin chipping in 33 each.

There was an extraordinary game of ups and downs at The Common, where home side Quarndon eventually emerged with a winning draw against Alvaston & Boulton.

Quarndon began with a careful stand of 56 between Robin Williamson and Matt Dowman but, when Dowman went for 30, there were three ducks among the next five batsmen to go as they failed to cope with Daryll Walker's spin.

When Williamson was seventh out, for an 86-ball 28, they were in deep trouble at 93-7 and Walker's spell ended at 5-11 from his 15 overs.

However, some sort of salvation came from the unlikely bat of Michael Staves, who managed 34 from 61 balls as 54 runs were added for the loss of two more wickets before the end of the 50 overs.

It soon became apparent that Quarndon's 148-9 would be a defendable total in the conditions, as Wahh ran out Ahsan Tariq and Dowman took the next three A&B wickets, including that of Steve Stubbings, to put them in trouble at 40-5.

Eventually, with captain Steve Ottewell in almost to the end for 20, A&B clung on at 94-9, Dowman taking 4-25.

Champions Chesterfield were undone by the conditions at Queen's Park as Dunstall perhaps chose a surprising time and place to land their first win of the season.

The visitors held nine catches as they bowled Chesterfield out for 99, Tom Mandleberg taking the important early wickets of Kevin Leatherday and Alex Hibbert.

With Derbyshire's Gary Park chipping in a spell of 3-19 from seven overs, the Chesterfield innings never recovered, Andy McCarroll top-scoring with only 19 as they were hustled out in 35.4 overs.

Three early wickets for Luke Thomas, who sent back James Benstead and Matt Gouldstone for ducks and had Carl Eyden caught behind for five, gave the champions a little hope.

Matt Benstead and John Jennings also followed for single figures and, at 40-5, Dunstall were in danger of handing Chesterfield an unlikely 27 points.

However, Park was still there and Craig Jennings (pictured left) joined him to get the total up to 76.

Park fell to Peter Camm for 38 but Jennings (30 not out) finished it from there, Scott Chilman not being required to contribute a run of the last 24 needed.