LINCS ECB PREMIER: Round-up

Bracebridge Heath and Grantham have been confirmed as winners and runners-up in the Lincs ECB Premier League, but third place was decided by the weather.

Three of the six games in the final week of the season were rained off, ending Woodhall Spa’s chances of overtaking Sleaford, who went down to Bourne but stayed ahead of the Jubilee Park team.

Playing at Abbey Lawn, after Sleaford’s first wicket fell on six, Ross Diver and Tom Shorthouse joined forces in a partnership of 143 and the visitors looked set for a big score.

Diver was out for 57 and from here the Bourne bowlers took wickets regularly.

When Shorthouse was out for 109 the score was 204 for eight and only eight more runs were added as Pete Morgan took the last two wickets to give him four for 30 off 10 overs.

Sleaford were all out in the 43rd over of a 46 over innings, gifting Bourne what proved to be crucial overs as the home side set off steadily.

At the end of their 46 th over, Bourne were still several runs short of their target but Ben Keast and Matthew Kidd saw them home in the first of the additional overs.

This gave Bourne sixth place in the table, just one point ahead of neighbours Market Deeping, who bowled bottom-placed Grimsby Town out for 212, Neal Snell hitting 57.

Deeping then lost seven wickets before reaching their target, skipper Dave Sergeant ending the season with an unbeaten 50.

At Grantham, where the game was reduced to 30 overs a side, Scunthorpe Town soon had their hosts in trouble on 27 for five then 38 for six, Danny Cliffe taking four of the wickets.

But Dan Freeman was still there and, with Rory Johnson, took the score to 70.

The eighth wicket fell on 87 but that was to be the last success for Scunthorpe as Freeman and Neil Stevenson shared an unbeaten stand of 62 to take Grantham to 149 for eight, Freeman making 79.

Scunthorpe had reached 31 when the first wicket fell but three more went for only 19 runs.

Arbind Singh’s 60 helped the total to 118 for seven but the final wicket fell on 130.

Stevenson took five for 24 but it was wicketkeeper Matthew Wing who took the honours with three catches and three stumpings.

Results: Sleaford 212 (Diver 57, Shorthouse 109), Bourne 216-7; Grimsby Town 212 (Snell 57), Market Deeping 213-7(Sargeant 50no); Grantham 149-8 (Freeman 79), Scunthorpe 130 (Singh 60, Stevenson 5-24, M Wing - six wicketkeeping dismissals); Bracebridge Heath v Boston; Woodhall Spa v Lindum; Louth v Alford – rained off, no play.