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Frustration for Millers' seconds but Luke's on fire to put firsts through in cup
By Alan Rowley
LANGLEY Mill’s second XI had a frustrating afternoon at Station Road as Mugginton’s eighth wicket pairing of John Heath and Shaun Etherington batted out for a losing draw for the visitors.
The Millers batted first and amassed a huge 242 for 6 from their 46 overs. Steve Walker followed his ton last Sunday with a top scoring 55 and there were also fifties for Rich Davey (52 not out) and Nick Wright (51). Fourteen-year-old Alex Bacon also batted well for a fine 36.
For Mugginton, Steven Sargeant was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 53 and there were two wickets for Mark Redfern, at a cost of 39.
In reply, Mugginton lost wickets at regular intervals early on and slumped to 53 for 5. Only Andrew Docherty, with 21. looked at ease as opening bowlers Jamie Salmons and Andrew Ball ripped through the upper order.
Only a fighting unbeaten 58 from John Heath saved the visitors from defeat, helped by an unbeaten 17 from Shaun Etherington. At the close, Mugginton finished on 178 for 8, 64 runs behind the Millers total.
For the seconds, Salmons picked up 3 for 48, Ball 2 for 9 and Ryan Cox 2 for 27. Davey grabbed the other wicket to fall at a cost of 21 runs. The Millers gained 19 points for the winning draw.
l Luke Rowley picked up five wickets for 22 runs as Wirksworth & Middleton slumped from 101 for 1 to 157 all out in the quarter-finals of the Bayley Cup.
On a spinners’ paradise, Sajendra Thimal also picked up three wickets for 21 to set up a home semi-final tie against Darley Abbey. on July 19.
Wirksworth skipper Dave Greatorex won the toss and asked Langley Mill to bat first.
With only 20 runs scored, openers Neil Wing and Paul Bailey were back in the pavilion. Bailey was first to go, caught by Gary Webster off Andy Wood’s bowling for four and Wing was bowled by South African pro Adrian Kershaw for nine.
Thimal and Andrew Bailey then brought the Millers back into the game taking the score to 71 before Thimal was bowled by James Brierley for 20. Bailey picked up his second fifty of the weekend as the Millers reached three figures.
At 109, Aaron Tullett danced down the track to overseas player Zahid Javed and was easily stumped by Alex Park for 14. Craig Parker became Kershaw’s second victim when he was bowled for ten and when Bailey was caught behind for 72 to give Kershaw a third, the Millers looked in trouble at 151 for 6.
Nick Wright was seventh to go, also caught behind off Kershaw for seven and when Jay Holmes was run out without scoring, the Millers had slumped to 167 for 8.
Jack Scott played a fine little cameo late on, picking up 27 runs before he was caught by Jack Ritchie off Brierley and Grant Ball chipped in with an unbeaten 10 to take the Millers 45 over score to 199 for 9. Kershaw was the bowling pick with 4 for 23 and Brierley grabbed two at a cost of 47.
Wirksworth charged off at a brisk pace and despite losing Park, lbw to Holmes for a duck with the score on 10, Javed and Ritchie took the hosts on to three figures in only 17 overs. The Millers looked dead and buried.
With the hosts romping ahead, the Langley Mill skipper turned to spin and it wasn’t long before Rowley bowled Ritchie for 21. Thimal landed another body blow with the score on 127, completely fooling Kershaw with one that turned sharply and trapped the batsman lbw for 19 runs.
At 127 for 3, and with 24 overs still remaining, the hosts only needed another 73 for victory and were long odds on favourites. But Rowley picked up three in quick succession, Javed skying one into the safe gloves of Parker to depart for an excellent 68-ball 73, Grant Boden, bowled for two and Gary Webster, also bowled for 12.
With the scoreboard reading 149 for 6, the Millers were right back in the game and when Thimal had Greatorex lbw for a single, the vocal Millers supporters sensed victory.
Rowley struck again with the score on 156 having Brierley caught by Paul Bailey for two to give the spinner his five-for and on the same score, Thimal bowled Jack Currell for a duck.
It was left to Andrew Bailey to pick up the last wicket when he held on to an easy return catch to dismiss Wood.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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