Saleem shines as Peterborough Town top two divisions, Castor’s Village Cup campaign is over, Craig smashes it for Oundle, Ben blasts it for Burghley Park

Sulemain Saleem, a former student at Stamford School, marked the first Northants Premier Division match of his life with a match-winning 89 not out against Old Northamptonians on Saturday (August 8).

And the following day the 18 year-old cracked an unbeaten 64 in a seven-wicket Rutland Division One win at Barnack. Town are now top of both divisions.

Town were struggling at 54-4 with all their star names back in the hutch chasing 222-4 against ONs, but with the help of 15 year-old Sam Jarvis (39), in a fifth-wicket stand of 75, Saleem first steadied the reply before launching a late assault alongside Scott Howard (33no from 26 balls) as a superb four-wicket victory was sealed with an over to spare.

Conor Craig struck an unbeaten 65 from just 35 balls as Oundle beat Overstone Park by seven wickets in the top flight of the Northants League. Craig struck 13 fours and a six during a stand of 102 with Mark Hodgson (58).

Castor’s first foray into the National Village Cup ended with a 40-run defeat in the East Midlands Final at Gloucestershire-based Dumbleton.

Castor felt confident at halfway after restricting their hosts to 209-9 in 40 overs, but they soon slumped to 9-3 in reply.

A superb fifth-wicket stand of 88 between inspirational skipper Reece Smith (52) and all-rounder Stuart Dockerill (54) got Castor back into the match, but a couple of contentious umpiring decisions turned things back in Dumbleton’s favour.

Castor had enjoyed a second successive Cambs Division Two win the day before as they proved 54 runs too strong for Ufford Park.

Dockerill (63) was again in good form with the bat as Castor posted a 40-over score of 203-7.

Returning star Ryan Evans - he had left the club to play for Ketton Sports this season - then bagged 4-37 as Ufford were dismissed for 149. Stand-in wicketkeeper Smith claimed five dismissals.

Half centuries from James Williams and Sam Albutt weren’t enough to save Wisbech Towm from a six-run defeat in a high-scoring Cambs Division One game at Histon, while March Town were crushed by 160 runs by Eaton Socon.

Bourne suffered a first Lincs Premier Division defeat of the season as Grantham romped to a seven-wicket win at the Abbey Lawns and Market Deeping’s slow start in the same competition continued with a five-wicket loss at Woodhall Spa.

Ben Woodward’s blistering 125 enabled Burghley Park to beat Market Deeping by five wickets in Rutland Division One. Jamie Thornely’s 60 was also crucial as Burghley overtook Deeping’s 240 with an over to spare.

National Village Cup

DUMBLETON beat CASTOR by 40 runs

Dumbleton 209-9 (B. Tegg 76no, S. Dunn 2-26, R. Evans 2-38).

Castor 169 (S. Dockerill 54, R. Smith 52).

Northants Premier Division

OUNDLE TOWN beat OVERSTONE by 7 wkts

Overstone 154 (T. Cooke 49, C. Edwards 42, T. Simeons 3-20, D. Foster 3-36).

Oundle 157-3 (C. Craig 65no, M. Hodgson 58)

PETERBOROUGH TOWN beat OLD NORTHAMPTONIANS by 4 wkts

ON’s222-4 (T. Hafil 80, T. Heathfield 51, M. Danyaal 2-33).

Town 223-6 (S. Saleem 89no, S. Jarvis 39, S. Howard 33no).

Lincs Premier Division

BOURNE lost to GRANTHAM by 8 wkts

Bourne 129 (P, Morgan 30, J. Temple 26, D. Freeman 3-18, M. Footitt 3-25).

Grantham 130-2 (D. Freeman 62no, R. Carnelly 60no)

WOODHALL SPA beat MARKET DEEPING by 5 wkts

Market Deeping 155-7 (J. Malton 47no, S. Malton 32).

Woodhall 157-5 (M. Sargeant 61no, K. Green 2-30, J. Howe 2-36).

Cambs League

Division One

HISTON beat WISBECH by 6 runs

Histon 252-6 (E. Hyde 108, W. Brown 76, K. Haynes 2-31, L. Mallett 2-32, B. Ellis 2-50).

Wisbech 246-9 (J. Williams 68, S. Albutt 59, J. Garner 47, G. Freear 21)

MARCH lost to EATON SOCON by 160 runs

Eaton Socon 260-2 (J. Carpenter 107no, O. Jefferies 99)

March 100 (A. George 29, J. Dawborn 3-14).

Division Two

UFFORD PARK lost to CASTOR by 54 runs

Castor 203-7 (S. Dockerill 63, M. Papworth 35, S. Farooq 23, U. Bapodra 2-18, F. Adil 2-35).

Ufford Park 149 (W. Javed 44no, R. Evans 4-37, C. Parnell 2-14, S. Dunn 2-29).

WISBECH 2nds beat ORTON PARK by 6 wkts

Orton Park 187-8 (T. Wilkin 40, C. Evans 38, D. Stannard 3-28, R. Osbourne 2-10).

Wisbech 191-4 (J. Hallatt 73no, D. Stannard 62, D. Vaseeharan (2-47).

Rutland Division One

BARNACK lost to PETERBOROUGH TOWN by 7 wkts

Barnack 147-8 (A. Munir 44, W. Butt 38, K. Singh 2-24, S. Iqbal 2-29, N. Haider 2-38).

Peterborough Town 148-3 (S. Saleem 64no, K. Medcalf 42, A. Majeed 2-24).

BURGHLEY PARK beat MARKET DEEPING by 5 wkts

Market Deeping 240-8 (J. Malton 64, J. Smith 40, S. Malton 37, C. Gillett 33, C. Headley 2-15, B. Woodward 2-28, M. Mullins 2-34, N. Yates 2-2).Burghley Park 241-5 (B. Woodward 125, J. Thornely 60, J. Howe 3-33)

WISBECH lost to KING’S KEYS by 48 runs

King’s Keys 235-9 (D. Ashraf 63, J. Ghani 42, U. Sadiq 37, T. Hussain 21no, G. Freear 4-43, B. Ellis 2-57)

Wisbech 187-7 (J. Bowers 85no, G. Freear 27, B. Ellis 25no, T. Hussain 3-21, M. Raheel 2-23).