Former Peterborough Town star Ajaz Akhtar leading Cambridgeshire in another strong tilt at the ECB Over 50s title

Cambs lost their final group match by two wickets against Leicestershire at Oakham, but they had won their previous six group games to finish top of the table.

Cambs have lost at the semi-final stage in each of the last two seasons to Yorkshire and then Wales so will hope to go one better.

Former Town players Dominic Ralfs, Chris Jones and Mark Drake are also key members of the Cambs squad. Jones is better known as a long-serving Market Deeping Cc player while Drake is the current captain of Bretton CC. Ex-Deeping player Lee Peacock is also in the Cambs squad.

Will Earl (66) top scored for Cambs at Oakham with Jones contributing 44 to a team score of 199 all out from 45 overs. Kevin Gilder (3-31), Ralfs (3-40) and Peacock (2-25) couldn’t stop Leicestershire sneaking home with 10 balls to spare.

Cambs, Leicestershire and Suffolk all finished with 6 wins from 7 matches, but Akhtar's men gathered more bonus points to ensure they finished top which brought a guarantee of a home draw in the first knockout stage. They will host Essex at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge on Sunday (July 27, 1pm).

Hunts, who were captained by Market Deeping’s David Gillett, finished bottom of the group after losing all seven matches, the last by six wickets to Suffolk at Deeping.

Peterborough Town’s Bob Milne top scored with 58 in a Hunts score of 194-9. Richard Kendall, also of Town, was Hunts most successful bowler with 2-41 from 9 overs.

Earl was the second highest run scorer in the group matches with 257. Clive Evans of Orton Park, Whittlesey and Hunts, was third with 228 runs. Cambs players Martin Burton (12), Ralfs (11) and Gilder (11) were among the top 10 wicket-takers.

LEAGUE ROUND-UP

There was very little local cricket played at the weekend although the top two in Division Four East of the Rutland League managed victories.

Leaders Hampton saw off Royal Strikers by three wickets and they now have a 36 point lead over second-placed Whittlesey who won by six wickets at Ramsey. Star men for Hampton were Muhammad Zafar (48), Umar Ismail (30) and Zohaib Muhammad (3-29).

Bottom club Nassington beat LGR by 43 runs in Division Four West. T. Green (54) and Hamood Saeed (46) top scored in Nassington’s 172-8. Angus Hammond-Chambers and Harry Kinnear claimed three wickets apiece in LGR’s 129 all out. Upwood beat Uffington seconds by 8 wickets in this division.

Orton Park’s Division Two game at Wellingborough Indians was abandoned after the city side had amassed 253-4 in their 45 overs. Connor Parnell struck exactly 100 with Divyeash Vaseeharan adding 79.