NORTHANTS LEAGUE: Mixed emotions for Peterborough Town on the final day

Asim Butt on his way to a rapid century for Peterborough Town against Wellingborough. Photo: David Lowndes.

The first XI sealed a creditable second place Premier Division finish after hammering relegated Welligborough by 169 runs at Bretton Gate, but the second XI were relegated from Division One after losing by six wickets at rivals-for-the drop East Haddon. This Town team didn’t win a game after June 25.

But the senior side continued a remarkable record of consistency. Since winning the Premier Division title after a 17-year gap in 2011, Town have since inished 1st, 1st, 2nd and 2nd.

They did finish 46 points behind unbeaten champions Old Northamptonians this year, who did Town a favour yesterday by beating Finedon, but that gap can probably be put down to the absence of injured professional Paul McMahon.

Ajaz Akhtar hits out duiring his innings of 62 for Peterborough Town against Wellingborough. Photo: David Lowndes.

Town’s remaining stars had little trouble in despatching poor opposition yesterday and Asim Butt and Joe Dawborn did enough to stake a claim for the top-flight’s player-of-the-year award.

Butt’s 107 was enough to take him to the top of the run-scoring charts with 778, while Dawborn was leading wicket-taker for the second season running with 57, a position he had sealed without yesterday’s burst of 5-36.

Butt reached three figures from just 83 balls with 15 fours and one six. He dominated a third-wicket stand of 128 with Ajaz Akhtar (62) as Town recovered from 18-2 to reach 265-9. Chris Milner added a breezy unbeaten 35 from 27 balls late in the innings.

Wellingborough were in no mood to resist and were dismissed for just 96 which represented over 100% improvement on the 39 they mustered between them against Town in the reverse fixture earlier in the summer.

Asim Butt on the attack during his innings of 107 for Peterborough Town against Wellingborough. Photo: David Lowndes.

Dawborn raced through the top of the order before Ryan Evans, on loan from Castor for the day. picked up 3-0 from 3.3 overs.

Oundle finished next-to-bottom, 33 points clear of Wellingborough, after losing their final game at Brixworth by five wickets.

Oundle collapsed from 50-0 to 117 all out.

RESULTS

PETERBOROUGH TOWN beat WELLINGBOROUGH by 169 runs

Premier Division

Town

A. Butt b Owen 107

D. Clarke run out 0

A. Mitchell c Trotter b Tapp 4

A. Akhtar c Tapp b Roach 62

L. Bruce c Tapp b Owen 18

D. Sayer c Tapp b Roach 9

M. Danyaal run out 13

C. Milner not out 35

J. Dawborn c Howes b King 1

R. Evans b Roach 0

J. Snith not out 0

Extras 16

TOTAL (9 wkts) 265

Bowling: K. Tapp 10-2-44-1; A. King 10-0-67-1; S. Owen 15-1-68-2; E, Delargy 6-1-26-0; T. Roach 9-0-57-3.

Wellingborough

C. Gates b Dawborn 35

J. Howes c Evans b Dawborn 14

D. Trotter run out 1

E. Delargy lbw Dawborn 9

K. Tapp lbw Evans 8

R. Shastri b Dawborn 0

Z. Bean c Milner b Dawborn 4

S. Owen st Milner b Evans 0

L. Kain c Butt b Danyaal 0

T. Roach not out 8

A. King st Milner b Evans 0

Extras 17

TOTAL 96

Bowling: D. Sayer 3-0-25-0; J. Dawborn 9-2-36-5; J. Smith 5-0-24-0; R, Evans 3.3-3-0-3; M. Danyaal 1.4-1-9-1; A. Akhtar 0.2-0-0-0.

BRIXWORTH beat OUNDLE by 5 wkts

Oundle 117 (B. Graves 32, B. Hussain 25).

Brixworth 123-5 (P. Patel 2-31, B. Graves 2-32).

Division One

EAST HADDON beat PETERBOROUGH TOWN 2nds by 6 wkts

Town 175-9 (K. Judd 38, B. Ganesan 35, B. Milne 28, S. Hayat 22).

East Haddon 176-4 (R. Kendall 2-36).