CRICKET: Cutthorpe unable to dent Ockbrook's title push

Ockbrook skipper Gareth Young called correctly and didn’t hesitate to bat. Openers Mykylo Bird & George Brandrick got off to a solid start against the Cutthorpe opening attack and put on 68. Jacob Deavin-Baker (2-45) removed firstly Brandrick for 37 and then the watchful Bird for 40. Runs came consistently before a partnership of 54 between Josh Lacey and Ethan Berlusconi was ended when the former was lbw to Hashen Ramanayake (2-75) for 50. Berlusconi went 7 runs later. At 165-4 Cutthorpe felt they had a chance of restricting O & B to gettable total.

But Jacob Conners who hit 69 off 29 balls, including 7 sixes, and Brian Bennett who got 40 off 32 balls, put on 110 off the last 10 overs and taking O & B to an imposing 275.

The Cutthorpe reply started badly with David Hunt, Primosh Perara, Liam Sadler & Robert Peat all back in the pavilion with score only on 35.

Skipper Edward Barlow looked to be getting the chase back on track until he was out to a superb catch which was combination of Brian Bennett’s athleticism and Josh Lacey’s backing up. Deavin-Baker came and went and was followed by top scoring Ramanayake (55) leaving the home team on 116-7. Jake Powell (41) added urgency to the innings but the required rate was too high and despite a near run a ball 25 from Max Webber and a better than a run a ball 31 by Josh Vaughan, when the overs ran out Cutthorpe had only reached 217-9.

Gareth Young was the pick of the visitors bowling taking 5-46 off his 12 overs.