County Cricket League set for a title showdown in the new year

AK 11 lead the way with five wins from five matches after effectively ending the challenge of Pak Azad at Bushfield Sports Centre with an emphatic success last weekend.

But Bretton are within a win of the leaders after securing their own handsome victory over Whittlesey. Bretton need to beat AK when the teams meet on January 19.

AK beat Pak Azad by 90 runs, but the outcome was far from inevitable in the early part of the game.

AK slipped to 23-2 and 78-4 before a brutal partnership of 56 between Sufyan Mazhar and Hassan Ameir helped them post a very respectable 134-4 with 53 runs coming from the last three overs and 86 from the last five.

Pak Azad collapsed to 44 all out in reply, and yet again it was Mazhar who was the chief destroyer. Over the course of this season his fielding has been compelling and he completed a man-of-the-match display taking 2-7 from a solitary over and executing three brilliant run outs.

Bretton powered their way to the highest team total of the season hitting 176-1 with four of their batsmen retiring once past 25 as per the ECB rules.

Neil Buckingham top scored with 29, while brothers Andy and Dave Bennett (both with 27) and Tom Sanderson with 25 were the other players in form.

Whittlesey started well with Josh Fox continuing his impressive indoor form with a flurry of fours and sixes seeing him quickly reach 25. He received excellent support from Henry Butt, who was playing his first game of cricket for 10 years, with 28.

However Ethan Bennett eventually removed both of them as Bretton completed a 58-run win.

Werrington beat Ufford Park and Hampton beat Wansford in the other matches played last weekend.

Saad Ashraf struck an unbeaten 52 for Hampton after Kester Sainsbury had bashed an unbeaten 59 for Wansford. Sainsbury also took two diving catches.

Junaid Hussain (40no) top scored for Werrington who have moved up to third.

Results

Hampton 131-3 (S. Ashraf 52no, A. Tajir 30ret, M. Zubair 2-13), beat Wansford 130-4 (K. Sainsbury (59no) by 3 wkts.

Werrington 122-3 (J. Hussain 40no, M. Toseeq 29no, S. Akhter 27ret) beat Ufford Park 119-4 (S. Ali 29no, U. Sadiq 27ret, J. Bigham 25). by 3 wkts.

Bretton 176-1 (N. Buckingham 29ret, D. Bennett 27ret, A. Bennett 27ret, T. Anderson 25) beat Whittlesey 118-5 (J. Fox 38, H. Butt 28. E. Bennett 2-15) by 58 runs.

AK11 134-4 (S. Mazher 47no, H. Ameir 32no) beat Pak Azad 44 (S. Mazher 2-7) by 90 runs.

Standings (all played 5): 1 AK 11 15pts, 2 Bretton 12pts, 3 Werrington 9pts, 4 Pak Azad 9pts, 5 Hampton 6pts, 6 Wansford 6pts, 7 Ufford Park 3pts, 8 Whittlesey 0pts.

Next fixtures January 19: 2.30pm Werrington v Hampton; 3.30 Wansford v Ufford Park; 4.30 Whittlesey v Pak Azad; 5.30 Bretton v AK11.