Week 20 30/31 Aug

This weekend sees the final of the Saturday League Cup with Morton taking on Timberland at the ground of Washingborough CC.  Morton go into the game as favourites having won two of their four scheduled meeting this season. Also on Saturday, Reepham host Washingborough in a league game with the two sides battling out, who will finish bottom.

On Sunday, leaders Cherry Willingham are without a game, allowing the chasing pack to close the gap. Second placed Martin host Lindum in their final home game and will be seeking a league double having won by eight wickets on the Lindum. Fifth placed Scothern host fourth placed Hartshome with both sides looking to get back onto winning ways after their defeats of last week. Blankney visit North Scarle looking for a rare league double after beaten the bottom side in the seasons’ opener.

In Division One, champions elect Boston 1^st get back into action with the visit of Bassingham who they beat by ten wickets earlier in the season. Second placed Nettleham too get back to action with a visit to third placed Middle Rasen. They will be seeking a league double but might find it difficult on the Rasen ground.  Finally the fast climbing Saxilby visit Washingborough in search of their first double of the season.

In Division Two, second placed Bardney play their penultimate game with a visit to Branston who they beat by over 100 runs in their first meeting of the season.  Third placed Carholme will be watching out for this result and hoping for success in their game against leaders BBH. This would put them into a promotion position. Fourth placed Waddington, who have not won in their last three games, have games in hand over sides above them and they host Hykeham with victory giving either side a chance of moving into a promotion position. The final game sees Nettleham 2^nd looking to overturn an early season defeat against Fulbeck as their season has continued to improve.

In Division Three, like their senior side, champions elect, Boston 2^nd  make their longest trip as they visit Owmby. Owmby need to overturn their recent six wicket defeat to keep their outside hopes of promotion going. Second placed Heckington make the short trip to Aswarby with victory and a league double a must if they want to stay in second place. On their shoulders are South Clifton who play their penultimate game with the visit of sixth placed Rustons. South Clifton have won their last three games while Rustons have lost three in a row.

Week 20 30/31 Aug

Premier

Martin v Lindum

North Scarle v Blankney

Scothern v Hartsholme

Div One

Boston v Bassingham

Middle Rasen v Nettleham

Washingborough v Saxilby

Div Two

Branston v Bardney

Carholme v BBH

Nettleham v Fulbeck

Waddinghton v Hykeham

Div Three

Aswarby v Heckington

Owmby v Boston 2^nd

South Clifton v Rustons

Sat League Cup final at Washingborough

Morton v Timberland

Sat League

Reepham v Washingborough

Week 19 23/24 Aug

With a month of the season now left only a few title and relegation issues look to be decided but by the end of this month things will most likely look much clearer.

In the Premier League champions Cherry Willingham still apepar favourites to lift their fourth title. Last weekend their skipper Joe Dobson picked up his 1,000^th wicket for the club in weekend cricket against Market Rasen and he will be looking to start the next milestone when his team visit one of their closest rivals Morton. The Gainsborough side slipped up last weekend losing in the last over at another of the title contenders, Scothern. In the last meeting between Morton and Cherry back in June the champions won by a massive 126 runs but on home ground Morton have only lost once. Second placed side Martin look to have the chance of retaining this position as they visit bottom side North Scarle who they beat back in June. Martin have played more games than most sides which would suggest that others will overhaul them as the season closes. One such side is Scothern who have a busy end to the season. This starts with a visit to Blankney who they have never lost to in recent seasons and they too will be seeking a league double. The final game sees Lindum host Hartsholme. Lindum’s season has gone off the boil recently and they have slipped down the table but they too have games to pull in. They are also in search of a league double having won on Hartsholme’s ground back in June.

In Division One the two leaders Boston and Nettleham are again inactive which could give third placed Middle Rasen another chance to get back into the title race. This Rasen failed to do last week being beaten by Saxilby at home. This week they make the long trip to Winthorpe who occupy bottom place and could finish there unless they soon start to pick up points. They have won only once since the opening weekend and also suffered a heavy defeat in the corresponding game at Rasen. The only other game is at Saxilby, who moved into fourth place last week with that win at Middle Rasen. They host Old Lincolnians whose season has gone down hill recently, with just one win in their last 5 games which has seen them slip down the table to sixth.

In Division Two leaders BBH are without a game after their surprise home defeat against Bardney last weekend. Bardney, who have only two games left end, the first being against Fulbeck whose inconsistency sees them in mid table after much hope of a higher finish. Bardney will be looking to finish their home programme on a high which would include a league double. The other two games both involve sides in the bottom four. Bottom side Aisthorpe, who already look doomed, visit fourth to bottom Hykeham who have picked up three wins from their last four games. The final game is at eighth placed Nettleham who have Branston (7^th) as their guests. Nettleham are on a winning run of three games while Branston, after an excellent June and July, have lost their last two games. They do have games in hand over sides above them though.

In Division Three Boston 2^nd almost look to be champions but on Sunday they host one of the two sides who could gain promotion with them, in Heighington. A rarity for Boston is the fact that Heighington visit them seeking a league double being the only side to defeat them this season. Also in this league, fourth placed Rustons take on sixth placed Owmby  Rustons have stumbled of late with two defeats in a row after four straight wins which had seen them climb the table. Owmby meanwhile have never really got their season back together after the disruption of games called off and their hopes of promotion in their first season back in the league looks to have gone.  Fifth placed South Clifton can complete a league double and take their winning run to three in a row should they beat Nocton who have not won in their last three. Millers, who look destined to finish bottom host Aswarby who won for the first occasion in four games last weekend.

In the Saturday League leaders Morton play their penultimate away game visiting bottom side Washingborough.  They and second placed Saxilby have met for the last time so should both sides win their remaining games Saxilby could win the league by one point. Washingborough have not won in seven games and have yet to beat Morton this season. The final game sees Saxilby host Reepham with the visitors too looking for their first victory over Saxilby this season.

Just a small statistic for all batsmen who are playing this weekend. Last weekend the damp wickets saw no less than 37 players registering “ducks”

Week 19 23/24 Aug

Premier

Blankney v Scothern

Lindum v Hartsholme

Morton v Cherry Willingham

North Scarle v Martin

Div One

Saxilby v Old Lincolnians

Winthorpe v Middle Rasen

Div Two

Bardney v Fulbeck

Hykeham v Aisthorpe

Nettleham v Branston

Div Three

Boston v Heighington

Millers v Aswarby

Rustons v Owmby

South Clifton v Nocton

Sat

Saxilby 2^nd  v Reepham

Washingbortough 2^nd v Morton 2^nd

Week 18 16/17 Aug

The second cup final takes place this weekend, again at Blankney, as Division Three side Heighington take on Division Two high fliers Waddington in the Major Hoult Trophy final. Heighington have already beaten Division Two leaders BBH on route to the final so they will have no fear meeting Waddington who are in the doldrums at the moment having lost their last three games. Heighington last appeared in and won the trophy back in 2004 while Waddington have never lifted this piece of silverware.

In league action there is a nearly full programme with Premier League leaders Cherry Willingham back in action after two weeks without a game. They host struggling Market Rasen, looking to complete a league double as they go in search of a fourth league title in a row. Nearest rival Morton visit Scothern who have not played a league game for three weeks. Morton will be seeking a league double after a three wicket win back in April while Scothern, with games in hand over everyone above them, can still have a say in the title. Third placed Martin see Blankney make the short trip to their ground with Martin after a third win in a row. Also in this division bottom side North Scarle are also in action for the first occasion in three weeks and they see Hartsholme as their guests. Already looking relegation favourites, North Scarle would just like to get a win under their belts having suffered seven defeats including a nine wicket reverse against opponents Hartsholme.

In Division One the top two are inactive which could see third placed Middle Rasen close in on them. They play host to Saxilby who they have already beaten in the corresponding game in mid June. Just below Middle Rasen, fourth placed Old Lincolnians visit Washingborough who have not won since they beat the Lincoln side in early June. They were however unlucky to lose last week, going down by just six runs to high-fliers Nettleham. The third game in this league is a bottom of the table clash between Bassingham and Winthorpe  Both sides have won just twice and even with victory Winthorpe would not move off the bottom although they have games in hand on sides above them.

In Division Two only BBH of the top three are in league action which could see them press home their advantage at the head of the table. They play Bardney who have won only once in their last four games. BBH on the other hand have won three in a row since these two last met in a game which failed to finish due to rain. Two sides on the up will be hopeful of victories. Firstly Nettleham 2^nd, who have won their last two, see bottom side Aisthorpe as their visitors. The last meeting of these two sides was another game lost to the weather but Nettleham had already scored 210 went it ended so they will be hopeful of a better conclusion this time. Hykeham too have had some recent success with two wins from their last three games and they take on Fulbeck who have won only one of three. Their previous meeting was also cancelled.

In Division Three leaders Boston 2^nd can take their points total beyond the 200 mark should they win at Rustons. Their nearest rivals Heckington and Heighington are not in league action which could take them 40 points clear. The previous meeting of these sides was Boston’s debut game in the league which they won by eight wickets. Victory for either side in the second match in this division could see their team climb to third place as fifth placed South Clifton take on sixth placed Owmby. Also in this division victory for Nocton over Aswarby could see the two sides swap places. Both sides have won only once since they met six games ago. In their previous meeting Nocton fell 14 runs short when set a target of 119 to chase.

On Saturday the two leading sides meet with leaders Morton making the short trip to Saxilby. The home side need to win otherwise the title will virtually be Morton’s as they are already 30 points clear. The second game sees Timberland visit bottom side Washingborough. Should Timberland win and Saxilby lose the latter could drop out of the top two for the first time this season.

MAJOR HOULT TROPHY at Blankney – 2.00 pm

Heighington v Waddington

PREMIER

Cherry Willingham v Market Rasen

Martin v Blankney

North Scarle v Hartsholme

Scothern v Morton

DIV ONE

Bassingham v Winthorpe

Middle Rasen v Saxilby 1st

Washingborough 1^st v Old Lincolnians

DIV TWO

Aisthorpe v Nettleham 2^nd

BBH v Bardney

Hykeham v Fulbeck

DIV THREE

Nocton v Aswarby

Rustons v Boston 2^nd

South Clifton v Owmby

SAT

Saxilby 2^nd v Morton 2^nd

Washingborough 2^nd v Timberland

week 17 9/10 Aug

The first of this seasons’ cup final takes place this weekend with Premier giants Scothern taking on Division One leaders Boston 1^st in the final of the Premier Trophy. This will take place at Blankney with a 1.30 pm start. It will be the sixth occasion this final has been played and which ever side wins will see their name on the trophy for the first time. Should Boston be the victors they will be only the second side outside the Premier League to lift the trophy with the now defunct Southcliffe winners two seasons ago against Blankney.

While this final takes place there is only one scheduled game in the Premier League

as second place Morton 1^st host Martin. Morton, who have lost only once, will be looking for a league double, having won the corresponding fixture back in May by 5 wickets, but Martin are full of runs at the moment having hit over 300 in their last game.

In Division One Nettleham 1^st can reduce Boston’s lead at the top to 17 points should they overcome mid table Washingborough 1^st who have lost their last three league games. The game of the day in this division is at fourth placed Old Lincolnians who entertain third placed Middle Rasen .These two sides are meeting for the first time in some years with victory important to both sides should they wish to keep their promotion hopes going.  The final game in this division is from the lower reaches of the league with second to bottom side Saxilby hosting Bassingham who are one place above them. Victory for Bassingham would give them a rare league double while Saxilby could climb above their opponents to the dizzy heights of fifth if they pick up only their second victory of the season.

In Division Two second placed Waddington are in action for the first occasion in two weeks which has seen their neighbours BBH build a 41 point lead on them at the head of the table. With BBH in active they can reduce this by half should they beat second to bottom Nettleham 2^nd who celebrated their first win last weekend. These two sides met at the start of the season in a game Waddington won by 9 wickets. Below Waddington only one point separates the next three sides and two of these meet as third placed Carholme visit equal fourth placed Fulbeck. Their previous meeting was a close affair with Fulbeck winning by just 23 runs.  Bardney, who are also equal fourth, take on bottom side Aisthorpe who are one of only two sides left without a win in all the leagues. Finally in this division, mid table Branston, who lost for the first time in five games last week, see Hykeham as their visitors. The last meeting of these sides was as close a game as you could get as the match was a tie with both sides scoring 161.

In Division Three, leaders Boston are without a game which could allow second placed Heckington to reduce their lead at the top to 21 points if they can complete a league double over bottom side Millers, who scored just 22 runs last weekend against Rustons. Just seven points behind Heckington are the fast improving Rustons who have a tough game this weekend as they host fifth placed Heighington with only two points separating them. Rustons will be seeking a league double having won by six wickets in a low scoring game in June. A further 17 points behind them are South Clifton who visit Aswarby. In the previous meeting of these two sides Aswarby picked up a nine wicket victory when set a target of 150 to chase. The last game in this league is at Owmby where second to bottom side Nocton are the visitors and they will be looking for a rare double on their trip north of Lincoln.

On Saturday Reepham visit leaders Morton still looking for a first victory over the Gainsborough sides while Saxilby, in second place, host Washingborough who will be looking for a similar success.

Sat League

Morton 2^nd v Reepham

Saxilby 2^nd v Washingborough 2^nd

Sunday

Premier Trophy final at Blankney

Boston 1^st v Scothern

Premier League

Morton v Martin

Div One

Nettleham 1^st v Washingborough 1^st

Old Lincolnians v Middle Rasen

Saxilby 1^st v Bassingham

Div Two

Bardney v Aisthorpe

Branston v Hykeham

Fulbeck v Carholme

Waddington v Nettleham 2^nd

Div Three

Aswarby v South Clifton

Millers v Heckington

Owmby v Nocton

Rustons v Heighington

Week 16 2/3 August

Preview of games for 2/3 August

Moving into the penultimate month of the season several teams have already established themselves as candidates for their respective league titles and similarly there are also sides with relegation threatening.

In the Premier League, leaders Cherry Willingham are inactive which could allow the chasing pack to claw back some of their 56 point lead. Nearest rivals Morton have two games in hand which should they win, would place them only 16 points adrift. On Sunday they seek a second league double in successive weekends as they visit Lindum, who they beat by 92 runs back in May. Another side seeking a league double (their first of the season) are third placed Hartsholme who host Blankney, who they beat by a massive 176 runs, also in May. The third game is between Martin and Market Rasen with the visitors without a win for two months and needing a victory to ensure their continued Premier status after only one season back in the top flight.

In Division One the game of the day is at title favourites, Boston 1^st  who entertain their closest rival Nettleham 1^st . The previous meeting between these sides at the start of the season saw Boston hit a blistering 287-7 and go on to win by 150 runs. Victory for Boston would give them their first double of the season. Third placed Middle Rasen will be watching out for this result as they could go second if Nettleham lose and they complete a double of their own against sixth placed Bassingham.

In Division Two, leaders BBH can extend their twenty point lead even further as their nearest rivals, Waddington, are again without a game. They visit neighbour’s Branston who they too beat early in the season but now Branston are a stronger outfit and are unbeaten in the league since mid May.  Third placed Bardney host Carholme looking to get back into winning ways after their bad result at Hykeham last week.  Carholme themselves picked up an important win at Aisthorpe last week and will be looking to avenge an early season reverse.  Another side after getting back in the winning groove are Fulbeck, who saw leaders BBH pile on the runs against them last week. Their task this weekend is less threatening as they see bottom side Aisthorpe as their visitors.

In Division Three, leaders Boston 2^nd, with just one defeat to their name, take on Aswarby, who they beat by five wickets only three weeks ago. Second placed Heckington, unbeaten in five games, will be hopeful of maintaining pressure on the leaders as they host Nocton, who have won just once, since May.  Owmby, have not completed a game since late June which has seen them slip down the table through no fault of their own. They are again on the road, as they visit Heighington, whose promotion challenge took a knock last weekend against Heckington. Finally in this division, bottom side Millers play host to Rustons whose form has improved of late, which has seen them climb from the lower reaches of the table to fourth. They will be seeking a third win in a row and their first league double.

On Saturday the normal two fixtures are taking place with new leaders Morton entertaining bottom side Washingborough and third placed Timberland visiting fourth placed Reepham.

Sat League

Morton v Washingborough

Reepham v Timberland

Premier League

Hartsholme v Blankney

Lindum v Morton

Martin v Market Rasen

Div One

Middle Rasen v Bassingham

Nettleham 1^st v Boston 1^st

Div Two

Bardney v Carholme

Branston v BBH

Fulbeck v Aisthorpe

Div Three

Boston 2^nd v Aswarby

Heckington v Nocton

Heighington v Owmby

Millers v Rustons

Wk 15 – 26/27 July 

Premier League leaders Cherry Willingham visit Martin in search of their first league double of the season having won the home encounter by 6 wickets back in May. Victory for Cherry could put them in an almost unassailable position as they would be 66 points clear of their nearest rivals. Morton, who slipped to fourth position last week, can go level with second placed Scothern if they complete a similar feat at Blankney and complete a league double. The third game in this league could see third placed Lindum pushed down to fifth if Hartsholme pick up maximum points in their home game against Market Rasen who have won only once so far this season.

In Division One league leaders Boston can see one of their nearest rivals slip further behind them if they beat second to bottom side Saxilby and a positive result is secured between second placed Nettleham who visit third placed Old Lincolnians.  Nettleham have already overcome the Lincoln side while Boston will be meeting Saxilby for the first time.

In Division Three, leaders BBH, after their disappointing result in the Major Hoult Trophy semi final, are in a position to go 21 points clear as nearest rivals Waddington are inactive. To do this they will have to overcome fourth placed Fulbeck who are still not out of contention for a promotion place.  Also still with promotion aspirations, are Bardney who can go top if they win and BBH lose. They will have to beat Hykeham, who to date have won only once and that was against Bardney in June. The third game in Division Two gives Aisthorpe yet another chance to pick up their first win. They host Carholme who will be looking for their first double of the season and their first win since picking up that victory a month ago.

In Division Three leaders Boston are inactive so the chasing pack can close the gap, just a little. One of the game taking place is a top of the table clash between second placed Heighington and fourth placed Heckington with just three points separating them. Heckington lost their home encounter by eight wickets but are on a winning run of three straight wins. Third placed Owmby make the long trip to seventh placed Aswarby who themselves could go above their opponents with victory but they will have to improve on their last performance when bowled out for just 40 at Rustons last week. On the subject of Rustons they host Nocton who beat them at the beginning of the month by 70 runs. Finally bottom placed Millers take on fifth placed South Clifton. South Clifton are one of only two sides that Millers have beaten this season but victory for Clifton could see them climb to third if two of the three teams above them fail to get results.

On Saturday the two losing semi finalists in the Saturday League Cup, Reepham and Washingborough, will meet at Reepham in the 3rd / 4^th places. To date the two sides have met twice in the league and on both occasions Reepham have won. The last time was two weeks ago in a game which saw nearly four hundred runs scored and the victors winning by just 7 runs. Also on Saturday the two finalists, Morton and Timberland, will play a dress rehearsal of the final at Morton. These two have met once already this season and this game too produced a lot of runs with Timberland making 168-8 when chasing 200.

The date of the final has now been set for Saturday 30^th August at Reepham, 1.30 pm start.

Sat League

TBA

Premier League

Blankney v Morton

Hartsholme v Market Rasen

Martin v Cherry Willingham

Div One

Old Lincolnians v Nettleham

Saxilby v Boston

Div Two

Aisthorpe v Carholme

BBH v Fulbeck

Hykeham v Bardney

Div Three

Aswarby v Owmby

Heighington v Heckington

Miller v South Clifton

Rustons v Nocton

Wk 14 19/20 July

This weekend it is Cup Day for our sides in the Saturday as Washingborough 2^nd host Timberland for the right to meet either Reepham or Morton in the final of the Saturday League Cup, now in its second season. A new name will go on the trophy with last seasons’ winners Brigg no longer members of the league. Washingborough and Timberland have met once this season in a game won by Washingborough at Timberland. Now having home advantage they must go into the match as favourites although saying that, Timberland had a convincing win over leaders Saxilby last weekend. As stated the second semi final sees Reepham host Morton but to get a result Reepham will need to produce a better performance than their last meeting back in May. Then Morton hit 251-7 with Reepham making only 111. That said Reepham have a new found star in the making in 15 year old Tom Dalton who hit a maiden century last weekend in Reepham’s victory over Washingborough.

On  Sunday we will find out who will meet Waddington in the final of the Major Hoult Trophy as highflying Division Three side Heighington take on Division Two leaders BBH. Both these sides have won this trophy in the last four seasons with BBH achieving it in 2006 and Heighington two years earlier. The other finalists Waddington have never had their hands on the trophy.

On Sunday in the Premier League it is a battle of the titans with leaders Cherry Willingham meeting old adversaries Scothern. The previous encounter between theses two side was cancelled so this is the only occasion the two sides will meet this season. Victory for Cherry would take them over 50 points ahead so Scothern will be more than keen on getting something from the game. Although Lindum have had a poor run of late they will be watching this result closely as they can move within striking distance of the Scothern should they win at bottom side North Scarle and Scothern lose. The third game is the visit of Market Rasen to Blankney with points important for both sides as they languish at the wrong end of the table.

In Division One none of the top three are playing which could see Old Lincolnians climb into second place if they pick up maximum points in their game with bottom side Winthorpe, who won for only the second occasion last week. The two sides should have met in mid June but Winthorpe forfeited the game on that occasion. The second game between Washingborough and Bassingham could elevate either side to their highest position of the season with victory allowing Washingborough to go as high as second if Old Lincolnians lose and a similar result for their visitors taking them up to fourth.

In Division Two, mid table Branston, with three games in hand on most sides, host neighbours and previous leaders Waddington. These two met in cup action earlier in the season in a game Branston would sooner forget as they were bowled out for the lowest total recorded, that of just 20. The only other scheduled game is between Carholme and Hykeham who are meeting for the first occasion this season.  

In Division Three only 19 points separate the third placed team from the one in eighth. This means a win for any of six sides can see them move considerably. Seventh placed Rustons are one such team as they host third placed Aswarby who have already beaten them by eight wickets earlier in the season. Despite this, victory for the Lincoln side could elevate them above their opponents. In the final game, second to bottom South Clifton see fourth placed Heckington make the long trip to their ground on the banks of the Trent. The visitors will be looking for a league double having also won by eight wickets in their previous meeting. The home side will however have taken heart from their battling performance at leaders Boston last weekend but a league double for the visitors could place them second.