Nuthall CC Match Reports 2007

Injuries and other commitments meant Nuthall could only field 8 players for their final SNCL game of the season but were still able to come away from Caythorpe with a 19 point victory, thanks to some superb batting from Tom Buckley followed by a superb team effort in the field. Nuthall won the toss and decided to use their depleted numbers to set a target to defend. Adam Leigh fell early well caught down the leg side by wicket keeper Simon Park. Buckley joined Rod Sanders at the crease and together the pair survived a testing period against the new ball. The pair took the score into 3 figures to set a solid base for the innings before Sanders was bowled by Steve Wilson for 33. That base was put to good use as captain for the day Andrew Finch blasted 2 sixes in a quick fire 42 before he was bowled by Steve Truman going for one big hit too many. Matt Murfin fell in a similar manner before Grahame Mcdonough was run out but at the other end Buckley continued to bat with controlled aggression and finished unbeaten on 93 as Nuthall posted 199/5 from their 40 over allocation. Caythorpe made a confident start to their reply as openers Shaun King and Simon Park found the inevitable gaps in the field to move past 50 for the first wicket. King was the dominant partner before he fell leg before to Rod Sanders for 53 and Park followed soon after when he was run out by a combination of Mcdonough and Leigh. The wicket keeper was soon in the game again as he produced some lightening fast work to stump John Neale from the bowling of Sanders as Nuthall regained a foothold in the game. They were able to tighten their grip as Sanders (4/39) and Paul Raynes (3/31) each produced superb 10 over spells. They were backed up by some fine fielding as Buckley, Murfin and Mcdounough all held sharp catches. Mcdonough then returned to claim the final wicket to fall to finish with 1/41 from his 10 overs while Matt Murfin finished wicketless but also returned economical figures. Caythorpe youngster Tom Kent struck an unbeaten 20 to help them to 161/9 and in turn claim the maximum batting bonus points which guarantee their survival in divsion E for next season. News soon filtered through of West Bridgfordians defeat at Hucknall which confirmed Nuthall as champions.

Centuries from Tom Buckley and Andrew Finch helped Nuthall to victory despite only being able to field 9 players against Wellow Exiles and in turn secure promotion in the Newark Alliance league. After winning an important toss Nuthall chose to bat first on an excellent track at the home of Thoresby Colliery but made the worst possible start as Owen Davies and Ryan Buckley fell within the first 3 overs to leave them on 10/2. Tom Buckley was joined by captain Andrew Finch and together the pair added 199 in just 26 overs for the 3^rd wicket. Finch reached his century before falling for 115, an innings which included 18 fours and a six. Matt Murfin struck an aggressive 29 before Jagdeep Bhupal fired 21 not out as Nuthall posted 296/5 from their 40 overs. Buckley ended unbeaten on 120 finding the boundary on 17 occasions. In reply the Exiles made a solid start as they found the gaps in the field to pass 50 before Mick Mason made the breakthrough in the 13th over. Mason then took over the wicket keeping duties after Finch suffered a blow to the finger and was soon in the action holding a catch as Tom Buckley added a wicket to his earlier runs. Despite the board ticking along some disciplined bowling saw the required run rate spiral and the game was sealed as Ryan Buckley grabbed 3 wickets for just 15 runs from a 7 over spell as the home side fell 88 runs short despite an unbeaten 86 from opener Ian Godfrey. Nuthall are promoted and will be crowned champions if they can win at Lowdham in their final game.

A superb partnership between Richard Marsh and Ryan Buckley saw Nuthall cruise to victory at Thurgarton II to keep them well in the promotion picture in the Newark Alliance. Choosing to field first on a damp wicket Nuthall were frustrated by a solid partnership from the young opening pair. A good spell from Jack Palmer went unrewarded before Joe Frost finally made the breakthrough in the 16th over. A wicket each for Ryan Buckley and the off spin of Matt Murfin kept the scoring rate in check before Shaun Stocks claimed his best return for the club with 4/29 from his 8 overs. There was disappointment for young Ben Powell who was run out agonisingly on 99 to deny him a well deserved century as Thurgarton posted 183/9. Nuthalls own young opener Ryan Buckley then added 65 with Owen Davies before Davies fell for 20. This wicket brought Richard Marsh to the crease and together with Buckley the pair added an unbeaten 122 for the second wicket as Nuthall reached their target with 11 overs remaining. Marsh ended with 63 while Buckley finished on 76, his third half century in as many innings for Nuthall.

Result: Nuthall 169/8 (40 Overs) beat West Bridgfordians II 128 all out by 41 runs

Nuthall inflicted a first defeat of the season on West Bridgfordians II with a solid all round performance at Stamford Road. Having been put into bat the Nuthall openers made a steady start as Adam Leigh and Mark Fletcher put on 46 for the first wicket. Leigh was first to fall for 25 and was followed soon after by Fletcher (22). Andrew Finch (31) and Tom Buckley (39) continued to build steadily before the dismissal of Finch saw a flurry of wickets as Nuthall looked to increase the scoring rate. Richard Marsh (20) and Shaun Stocks (16no) added some timely runs to help Nuthall to 169/8 from the reduced allocation of overs with Joe Mitchell (3/30) the most successful bowler for the home side. Nuthall made the perfect start to the defence of that total when Matt Murfin uprooted the leg stump of Charlie Garton in the first over and he was quickly followed by his opening partner as Paul Fletcher struck with his first delivery to leave West Bridgfordians on 1 for 2. Chris Proctor survived a strong caught behind appeal before he was well caught by keeper Danny Roberts from the bowling of Grahame Mcdonough before a second wicket for Murfin and 2 apiece for Rod Sanders and Richard Marsh left the home side reeling at 66/8. Nasser Hussain (32) and Fred Notman (34) gave the league leaders hope by adding 48 for the 9th wicket but Marsh returned to dismiss them both to finish with 4/24 to secure a full points return.

Nuthall stay in the hunt for promotion after a convincing win over Colston Bassett. After electing to bat first Nuthall saw Owen Davies and Shaun Stocks successfully negotiate the new ball before Stocks (14) fell to Adam Hancocks with the score on 36. Davies fell soon after to Hancocks (2/16) for 26. Tom Buckley steadied the ship and Mark Beresford fired a quick 17 but when Beresford and Matt Murfin fell the game was finely balanced at 106 for 4. Andrew Finch joined Buckley who reached his half century at just below a run a ball while Finch reached his 50 from the next ball from just 34 deliveries. The pair added 90 in 10 overs before falling to consecutive balls caught on the boundary from the bowling of Chris Pettitt. Graham Walker survived the hat-trick ball and with Jagdeep Bhupal blasted 23 from the last 3 overs to post 219/7. Bhupal then enjoyed success with the ball dismissing both visiting openers on his way to figures of 3/32. Matt Murfin produced a fine spell from the other end to claim 2/6 from 7 overs before Buckley also made his mark with the ball returning 3/5. Mick Mason claimed a wicket to reduce Colston Bassett to 52/9 before Nuthall were frustrated by a last wicket partnership of 39 before the innings was ended as Murfin ran out Dave Pleasants to finish the game and claim the points for the home side.

Adam Leigh hit his first century for Nuthall as they comfortably beat Kirkby Portland II at Basil Russell. After choosing to field first the visitors were frustrated by a solid opening partnership by Leigh and Mark Fletcher. Fletcher was first to fall for 31 but Leigh batted superbly on his way to 113 before he fell looking for quick runs towards the end of the innings. Aided by support from Andrew Finch (26) and late runs from Shaun Stocks and Danny Roberts Nuthall posted a competitive total despite Craig Reeves taking 4 wickets for the visitors. Paul Fletcher then inflicted damage to the visitors reply as he returned figures of 3/21 to remove the top order. Richard Marsh then returned the extraordinary figures of 5 wickets for 2 runs to run through the lower order and secure a convincing win which sees Nuthall take 20 points from the game.

Nuthall boosted their promotion hopes by beating fellow hopefuls Farndon by 6 wickets at Basil Russell. Rod Sanders was the chief destroyer as he took 5/13 and backed by Grahame Mcdonough (3/24) they dismissed the visitors for just 88. Daniel Hubbard top scored for Farndon striking 24 before he was one of 2 wickets for Paul Fletcher. Despite 2 wickets for Jason Lam the Nuthall reply was relatively straight forward as led by captain Richard Marsh (25no) they reached the target with 17 overs in hand to claim 19 points.

Nuthall returned to winning ways on Sundays with a comprehensive victory at Notts Unity Casuals. The visitors amassed 242/4 built around an unbeaten 87 from opener Owen Davies. His opening partner Mark Fletcher scored 49 before Matt Murfin continued his good form with the bat striking 42 with all but 4 of his runs coming in boundaries. The Unity reply never really got going despite 58 from their 14 year old opener Adam Fox. There were 2 wickets for Matt Murfin but the main damage with the ball was caused by Richard Straw who returned 4/14 from his 7 overs as Unity were restricted to 137/9.

Nuthall came out on top in the local derby as they completed victory at Eastwood. Eastwood chose to bat first but were in trouble early on as Paul Fletcher (4/26) did the damage with the new ball. Richard Marsh (3/35) and Rod Sanders (2/16) were also amongst the wickets. For the home side only Nick Elderkin (20) and Brian Towle (21) passed 20 but Jake Humphries made an unbeaten 17 to steer the home side into 3 figures as they were all out for 102 with Adam Leigh taking 3 fine stumpings. The reply made a terrible start as James Longden and Humphries dismissed both Nuthall openers without a run on the board. Richard Marsh and Tom Buckley repaired the damage as they added 64 for the 3rd wicket before Buckley was dismissed for 13 to the delight of the home sides supporters! Matt Murfin then struck 19 from 9 balls and Marsh ended unbeaten on 56 as Nuthall reached their target in 26 overs.

Result: Nuthall 146/6 (37.4 overs) beat Underwood 145 all out by 4 wickets (match reduced to 40 overs per side)

The Nuthall bowlers were on fine form as Nuthall won a low scoring encounter at Basil Russell. Having chosen to bat the visitors lost an early wicket as debutant Paul Fletcher struck in the first over. Fletcher went on to claim 3/24 from his 10 over spell. Despite 52 from Andy Freeman and 36 from Craig Dalley Underwood struggled for momentum as they were dismissed for 145 with Richard Marsh (3/39) and Grahame Mcdonough (4/27) doing the damage. In reply Adam Leigh struck 43 and along with Andrew Finch (44) moved Nuthall towards victory. Shaun Stocks (26no) ensured that there would be no late dramas as Nuthall achieved their target with 2 overs to spare to claim 19 points.

Nuthall suffered defeat from the final ball of the match as Wilsons chased down 233 to win at Regatta Way. Having won the toss and chosen to bat Nuthall made an impressive start as captain Andrew Finch and Mark Fletcher put together a century partnership for the first wicket. Finch was first to fall for 86 and Fletcher was run out soon afterwards for 36. Matt Murfin took over where they had left off as he smashed a quickfire 52 and along with contributions from Tom Buckley (20) and Owen Davies (21no) Nuthall posted a respectable 233/5 from their 40 overs. The Wilsons reply started at a steady pace as the opening bowling pair of Mick Mason and Paul Fletcher kept the run rate in check. Wickets were hard to come by however as Nitin (49) and Majid (30) set a solid base to the run chase. A wicket apiece for Buckley and Murfin put Nuthall back in command but Malik (60) and Ifty (40) swung the balance back to the home side. With just 4 runs required from the final over Mark Fletcher restricted the batsmen to just 3 runs from the first 5 balls but with with the scores level the home skipper found the boundary to seal a 5 wicket victory.

Nuthall returned to winning ways with victory at Stanton by Dale. The home side elected to bat first on a small ground and looked to be well set as openers Matt Puddy and Daniel Whitley put on 78 for the first wicket. Nuthall were hampered by an injury which forced Matt Murfin out of the attack early on but their spinners kept the run rate under control. Richard Marsh (2/48) dismissed both openers including Puddy for 82 and was well supported by Adam Leigh who bowled a tidy spell without reward. Murfin returned late on with some spin bowling of his own and finished with 2/21 as Stanton were restricted to 183/7. Once again the Nuthall top order failed to fire and they looked to be in bother as Paul Cowan (4/44) reduced them to 91/6 before Richard Marsh added 81 with Danny Roberts (33) for the 7th wicket. Roberts fell with 12 runs required but Marsh stood firm and was unbeaten on 68 as the target was achieved with 15 balls to spare.

A superb maiden century from Matt Murfin couldn't save Nuthall from their first defeat of the Newark Alliance season at home to Chilwell. Having chosen to bat first the visitors lost a wicket in Paul Raynes first over but Jason Wooliscroft steadied the ship with an assured 43 before he was run out by Nick Sanders. Rajid Mahmood then took over with some clean hitting before he was trapped LBW for 99 by Raynes who finished with 3/49. Richard Straw also claimed 3 wickets but Nuthall will be disappointed with the 51 extras conceded. The home sides reply got off to a rapid start as Andrew Finch blasted 22 before falling to the final ball of the second over. Matt Murfin then kept Nuthall in the chase as he compiled a brilliant 107 containing 19 boundaries and a six. The lower order provided good support for Murfin but the total proved to be too much and despite some late hitting from Jagdeep Bhupal (22) Nuthall fell 50 runs short as they were dismissed for 217.

Ellerslie gained revenge for their defeat the previous week by beating Nuthall by 4 wickets at Basil Russell. After being put into bat Nuthall struggled with only Shaun Stocks (34) and Tom Buckley (30) making any impact in the top half of the Nuthall order. When Buckley fell Nuthall were in trouble at 103/8 but 28 from Grahame Mcdonough and an unbeaten 27 from Matt Murfin saw the home side reach 175 all out with Peter Vladev taking 5/18 for Ellerslie. In reply Sajad Akram (67) and Daniel Hammond (38) added 96 for the first wicket before 3 wickets for Richard Marsh gained Nuthall a foothold in the game as Ellerslie were reduced to 129/4. However an unbeaten 43 from Muhammed Raees Tariq Ellerslie home with 13 balls to spare.

Nuthall had a captains innings from Richard Marsh and some fine bowling from Adam Leigh to thank as they won a tight encounter at Ellerslie by 17 runs. Nuthall won the toss and chose to bat first but despite contributions from Mark Fletcher (30) and Leigh (29) they looked to be in trouble as they slumped to 107/7. But Marsh added 87 with Grahame Mcdonough (22) before he eventually fell for 95 as he skied an attempted pull shot off the bowling of Edward George who finished with 6/49. In reply Ellerslie saw 6 of their top 7 batsmen pass 20 but nobody could go on past top scorer George who scored 39 as Leigh (4/40) and Rod Sanders (2/44) kept the scoring rate in check. A wicket apiece for Marsh, Mcdonough and Matt Murfin along with a crazy run out saw the home side fall 17 runs short.

Nuthall returned to winning ways with a comfortable victory over Caythorpe III at Basil Russell. Having elected to field first Nuthall made early inroads into the visitors batting as Matt Murfin (4/26) ripped through the top order. Rod Sanders then took over taking 5/13 from 9 overs to dismiss Caythorpe for just 61. Knowing that the target needed to be reached within 16 overs for maximum points Nuthall lost 4 wickets chasing quick runs but skipper Richard Marsh and Danny Roberts were there at the finish to guide them home in just 12.1 overs to move back into third in the table.

Nuthall slipped to their first defeat of the season after narrowly failing to chase down the target set for them by Hucknall. The home side built a solid total based around 52 from Max Thompson but were kept in check by Nuthall spinners Richard Marsh (4/69) and Adam Leigh (2/48) as they were dismissed in the last over for 202. Nuthall looked to be struggling as they slipped to 36/4 in reply but good innings from Tom Buckley (43) and Richard Marsh (66) kept them in the hunt. Needing 11 from the final over Matt Murfin was adjudged LBW from the first ball for 16 and Nuthall were unable to find enough runs and finished on 198/8 to finish 4 runs short.

A thrilling game at Basil Russell finished in a tie as the visitors scrambled a leg bye from the final ball of the match to equal the Nuthall total of 223/6. That total represented a solid effort from the home side having chosen to bat with Mark Beresford striking an aggressive 80, well supported by Tom Buckley who made 55. West Bridgfordians got off to a flying start in reply racing to 71/1 inside the first 10 overs. Nuthall battled back again and 3 wickets for Matt Murfin looked to have given them edge but Alan Mclaughlin was keeping within touch of the run rate. Going into the last over with 14 required and only 1 wicket left Mclaughlin (71no) launched the first ball for 6 before the number 11 squirted a boundary and then sealed a share of the points from the last ball. Nuthall take 13 points from the game.

Nuthall maintained their 100% start to the season with a comfortable victory against Burton Joyce. The visitors elected to bat but struggled against some tight bowling from the Nuthall openers, in particular Grahame Mcdonough who sent down 8 overs for just 2 runs. Richard Straw then took over claiming 3/12 and there was a first Nuthall wicket for Graham Walker. 2 wickets apiece for Mick Mason and Andrew Finch restricted Burton Joyce to 108/9 from their 40 overs. Ryan Buckley then wasted little time in chasing down the total. Although Mark Fletcher and Owen Davies fell along the way Buckley steered Nuthall home with an unbeaten 75. Matt Murfin smashed a six to seal the victory with 18 overs remaining to move Nuthall into second place with a game in hand.

Shaun Stocks marked his debut for the Sunday side by smashing a superb century on a fine day for Nuthall at Fiskerton. Stocks came to the crease in the 2^nd over and added 196 in just 27 overs with Owen Davies (79). He eventually fell for 117 before useful cameos from Matt Murfin (29) and Andrew Finch (28no) pushed the Nuthall score up to the 300 mark. That total was always likely to be too much for the home side and so it proved as they were restricted to 144/7 in reply. Wickets were shared amongst the bowlers and included a superb one handed catch from Graham Walker, with the only contribution of note from the home team coming from Rob Turner who made an unbeaten 61. Nuthall make it 4 wins from 4 games in the Newark Alliance and take on Burton Joyce next Sunday at Basil Russell.

Superb all round performances from Grahame Mcdonough and Rod Sanders helped Nuthall to a full points victory at Farndon. Things were not looking good for the visitors having chosen to bat, they lost their first 5 wickets before 50 runs were on the board. Danny Roberts and Rod Sanders began the rebuilding process before Sanders fell for 33 which brought Mcdonough to the crease and supported by Roberts the total quickly moved forward at a good rate. Mcdonough ended a brilliant innings by smashing the final ball of the innings for 6 to reach his first Nuthall century and post a more than competitive 236/8. After a solid start in reply by Farndon Sanders (3/42) and Mcdonough (3/21) then made an impact with the ball. Mark Townrow made 47 before falling to Richard Marsh’s first delivery and when Matt Murfin removed the dangerous Duckmanton for 30 victory was in sight and after some brief resistance by the tailenders Murfin ended proceedings with his 2^nd wicket to earn the 20 points and keep up the perfect record for the season. Nuthall will attempt to keep that run going with a trip to Kirkby Portland next Saturday.

Matt Murfin hit an unbeaten 52 as Nuthall won the opening game of the Newark Alliance season. Having won the toss and elected to field on a very green track Paul Raynes made a couple of early breakthroughs before Mick Mason came on to bowl his usual economical spell which saw his 8 overs go for just 8 runs, picking up a couple of wickets along the way. At the other end Sadique was teeing off from ball one and keeping the score ticking along at a decent rate. 2 wickets apiece for Rod Sanders and Adam Leigh along with a 3rd for Raynes saw the visitors dismissed for 176 with Sadique last man out, smartly stumped for a shot a ball 96. In reply Mark Beresford got the innings off to a flying start with a quickfire 46. After a couple of nice stokes Leigh was unfortunate to be bowled by one that squirted under his bat and trickled onto the stumps. Andy Finch was caught without scoring which brought Murfin to the crease and he wasted little time moving to his half century, well supported by Owen Davies who made an unbeaten 35 as Nuthall reached the victory target with 2 overs remaining.

A solid all round display earned Nuthall victory in our opening pre-season fixture. Having won the toss Spondon made a solid start, restricted by some tight bowling from the new opening bowling pair of Matt Murfin and Grahame Mcdonough. A great spell by Paul Raynes (3-9) ripped through the Spondon top order, assisted by a comedy run out before good spells from Rod Sanders (3-39) and Adam Leigh (3-5) finished off the lower order to restrict the home side to 139. In reply the new opening pair of Adam Leigh and Ryan Buckley fell fairly early before Andy Finch and Tom Buckley looked in decent nick before both falling in the teens. Richard Marsh top scored with 30 supported by a patient 18 from Mick Harris which included a couple of big sixes. Their dismissals gave Spondon a glimmer of hope before a quickfire unbeaten 26 from Mcdonough finished the job with 11 overs to spare.