Reigning champions Ramsey back on top after a little help from their friends, 3 tons in Burghley Park v Deeping game, Butt was brilliant for Barnack again and Town hang on to title hopes
Reigning champions Ramsey are back in pole position in Cambs Division One after receiving a little help from their friends.
While ‘The Rams’ were coming out on top of a tense struggle with Foxton Granta at Cricketfield Lane, the team who started the day on top, Saffron Walden, were getting crushed by Wisbech Town at Harecroft Road as veteran Gary Freear enjoyed an excellent all-round day.
The Fenmen won by 10 wickets after despatching their visitors for just 122. Slow bowlers Freear (4-35) and Josh Porter (3-18) did the bulk of the damage before Freear (52no, 46 balls) joined forces with Danny Haynes (66no) to knock the runs off in just 19 overs.
Ramsey were detained for considerably longer by Foxton Granta who eventually fell 16 runs short of the home side’s 248. Strong middle order knocks from Elliott Cafferkey (62), captain Taylor West (52) and Harley Edmonds (46) rescued ‘The Rams’ from 68-5. As usual Sandun Madushanka (3-27) was the best bowler for the new leaders.
There are only three weeks left of the Cambs League season and Ramsey must travel to Wisbech next Saturday (August 31, noon).
Barnack kept the pressure up on Division Three leaders Cambourne as Asim Butt continued his blistering run of form.
Butt smacked an unbeaten 165 in his previous outing for the club and followed it with 138 as Barnack beat City of Ely by 144 runs. Butt now has 808 runs at this level and could easily reach 2,000 runs for the summer given his Rutland Division One form.
Barnack are nine points behind Cambourne, but there is only one weekend to go in this division so the local villagers must beat LGR at home next Saturday and hope Cambourne slip up at home to Easton Socon 2nds.
A pair of outstanding centuries from Burghley Park batsmen Pete Foster and Sam Potter pushed Market Deeping back into Lincs Premier Division relegation trouble. Foster finished 135no (115 balls, 17 4s, 4 6s) and Potter clubbed 100 (76 balls 12 4s, 5 6s) as Burghley piled up 326-7 from 50 overs at Outgang Road. They had come together at 53-3 and added 151 for the fourth wicket.
Deeping also boasted a rapid centurion as overseas star Aashar Mehmood whacked 103 from 65 balls (14 4s, 4 6s) but he had little support in a team total of 210 apart from George Woods (41).
It remains a 4-way battle to avoid two relegation spots with 4 games to go and it includes Spalding who went down by 6 wickets at Grantham. Deeping are at current leaders Bracebridge Heath next Saturday when Spalding are at home to fourth-placed Lindum.
Peterborough Town are hanging on to the coat-tails of Northants Premier Division leaders Finedon, but Oundle Town’s title challenge has collapsed after a second straight defeat.
The city side beat bottom club Kettering by 5 wickets after three-wicket hauls for Nick Green and Hayatullah Niazi and a speedy 51 from Josh Smith, but Oundle were shot out for just 124 at Stony Stratford on the way to a 7-wicket defeat.
Peterborough Town do visit Finedon on the final day of the season, but for that game to matter the current top dogs would need to lose another game before then.