Groundsman Green was pitch perfect on a mixed weekend for Peterborough Town
Club groundsman Nick Green was pitch perfect as Peterborough Town opened their Northants Premier Division campaign with a 60-run win over Loddington at Bretton Gate on Saturday.
But Town, despite more heroics from Green, couldn’t back it up with success on Northants T20 Championship Finals Day as they went down by 8 runs in their semi-final against Kislingbury at Geddington CC.
Town expected a tough game against a team who appear to have a selection hotline to Northants, but it was one of their own former players who did the damage. Alex Mitchell smacked 79 from 50 balls (104s 3 6s) to push his side up to 162-7 and Green, who walloped 81 from 52 balls (9 4s 1 6), went unsupported as Town were dismissed for 154 with two balls to spare.
Green and Bashrat Hussain both picked up two wickets for Town with Jaskaran Singh (3-37) returning the best figures for the city side. No other Town batsman reached 20.
Green cracked 115 as Town piled up 310-7 in their 50 overs against newly-promoted opponents 24 hours earlier before taking 3-36 to halt a spirited reply from the visitors in its tracks.
Loddington, who were missing many regulars, reached 212-2 thanks mainly to Ryan Hawthorn’s century, but they were always behind the required run rate and they eventually closed on 250-7.
The Premier Division starts with 50 over win lose cricket this year and Town’s prolific opener Josh Smith wasted no time in showing off his class with an innings of 89 from just 66 balls, a knock sprinkled with 13 stylish boundaries.
Smith and Green, who was more circumspect initially, added 135 for the second wicket before Kyle Medcalf arrived at the crease to club a run-a-ball 54. Green went on to strike 13 boundaries although Town struggled to hit the rope towards the end of the innings when 350 had looked possible.
But they had more than enough as Green and fellow seamer Hussain (2-34) bowled economically and Nick Paskins picked up a couple of late wickets with his leg-spin.
It was a disappointing opening day for Oundle Town who never really recovered from a terrible start and went down by 5 wickets at Old Northamptonians. Oundle were 18-3 and 84-7 before number nine Harrison Craig (44) organised a recovery to 184, but the hosts started and finished their innings well and cruised home with many overs to spare.
Peterborough Town are at Overstone Park next Saturday (May 30) when Oundle host Rushden & Higham at Milton Road (11am).