Great drama as Peterborough Town fight out a heavyweight draw, Costello stars in Oundle win, Bourne, Castor and Wisbech still flying, Market Deeping and Ramsey are struggling

The bare facts will reveal Town somehow stretched their unbeaten top-flight run to 37 matches after a thrilling draw, but they lost top spot as a result.

But where to start with a match that ended with the hosts one run shy of Town’s 205 all out with one wicket still intact? The finish was so exciting a couple of the less clued-up local players thought they could celebrate a victory!

In a nutshell Geddington started the last over bowled by supercool offspinner Lewis Bruce requiring just three to win with two wickets in hand. Jamie Smith executed a superb run out from the first ball, number 11 James Gaul scrambled a single from the third ball leaving number 10 Chris Murdoch three balls to steal all the glory from a glorious contest. Instead he patted two balls back and then missed the third ball altogether which didn’t stop Gaul attempting to steal a run. He was sent back and if Bruce had gathered a slightly off target throw Town would have claimed a fifth straight win.

As it happens a game that fluctuated madly all afternoon as the teams kept getting off the canvas when seemingly knocked out probably deserved to be drawn.

Town were 78-1, then 91-5 and then 138-7 before passing 200 in the final over of their innings. In reply Geddington were 41-1 and then 91-6 before a superb seventh-wicket stand of 85 between Patrick Harrington, a former Market Deeping and Spalding player, and Benedict Harvey took a much-strengthened side to the verge of victory. Harrington’s dismissal for 73 from just 54 balls (six sixes, six fours) after captain David Clarke had bravely thrown the ball to under-employed leg-spinner Karanpal Singh for the penultimate over was vital as were Singh’s 14 runs from the first three balls of Town’s final over. The catch Mark Edwards took to claim Harrington was one brilliant moment in a match full of them.

Bruce (43) top scored for Town with Chris Milner (40) and Clarke (38) contributing well. Bruce and Josh Smith bowled superbly in tandem at a crucial time.

Town have dropped to second as newly-promoted suprise package Kislingbury Temperanace won to return to top spot.

Oundle, who travel to Peterborough next Saturday (May 28), won for the third time in five games by 59 runs over Desborough at Milton Road as Dan Costello took a star all-round role. He bludgeoned an unbeaten 53 from 37 balls to get Oundle up to 200 and then claimed 4-37 as the visitors were dismissed for 141.

Bourne are top of the Lincs Premier Division by four points after recording a fifth straight win. Sam Evison (62), Brandon Diplock (50) and Colin Cheer (4-36) were their top performers in a 137-run win at bottom club Skegness.

Market Deeping are next-to-bottom after losing for the fifth straight game, by nine wickets at Sleaford. Spalding conceded over 300 at Bracebridge Heath on the way to a 118-run defeat.

Wisbech remain top of Cambs Division One after a nine-wicket win at Ramsey which featured a 55-ball 66 not out from evergreen Gary Freear.

Stamford Town won for the first time, by 11 runs at Foxton Granta, where seamer Vamshi Parvathaneni (5-36) managed to overshadow Notts all-rounder Zak Chappell (3-34) who was turning out for his first senior club.

March Town were disappointingly beaten by a Newmarket team that had started the day bottom of the table. Ramsey are now bottom.

Casror are up to third in Cambs Division Two after a five-wicket win at Kimbolton, while Ufford Park were beaten by 24 runs at second-placed Blunham.

Mark Wheat (68), Stuart Dockerill (59no) and Ashley KIllingsworth (4-42) were all in form for Castor.

Results

Northants Premier Division

Peterborough Town 205 (L. Bruce 43, C. Milner 40, D. Clarke 38) drew with Geddington 204-9 (P. Harrington 73, Josh Smith 2-40, M. Edwards 2-45, M. Danyaal 2-59)

Oundle 200 (D. Costello 53no, C. Craig 42, S. Jarvis 30) beat Desborough 141 (D. Costello 4-37, P. Patel 3-20, T. Norman 2-32) by 59 runs.

Lincs Premier Division

Bracebridge Heath 305-2 (T. Fell 125no, A. Willerton 84no) beat Spalding 187 (M. Freeman 38, J. Manton 38, B. Andrews 33no) by 118 runs

Bourne 224 (S. Evison 62, B. Diplock 50) beat Skegness 87 (C. Cheer 4-36, B. Diplock 2-9, T. Dixon 2-24) by 137 runs

Sleaford 135-1 beat Market Deeping 134 by 9 wkts.

Cambs Division One

Stamford 191-7 (T. Juggins 42no), beat Foxton Granta 180 (V. Parvathaneni 5-36, Z. Chappell 3-34) by 11 runs

Wisbech 110-1 (G. Freear 66no, J. Bowers 32no) beat Ramsey 109 (E. Durrant 29, R. Clark 5-34, J. Porter 3-12) by 9 wkts

Newmarket 255-6 (M. Pipe 107no) beat March 197 (R. Clarke 44, S. Clarke 38, R. Pitigala 34) by 58 runs

Cambs Division Two

Blunham 241 (S. Hussain 84, C. Agnew 3-30, W. Javed 2-16, T. Hussain 2-22) beat Ufford Park 217 (D. Ashraf 34, T. Hussain 34) by 24 runs

Castor 198-5 (M. Wheat 68, S. Dockerill 59no) beat Kimbolton 194 (A, KIllingsworth 4-42, C. Parnell 3-29) by 5 wkts