Belvoir host Papplewick!

One of the most interesting games taking place this weekend is scheduled for Knitpon where an improving Belvoir side host Papplewick; the home side have been showing progress in recent weeks and they will see this as a key game if they are to retain their Premier League status for the 2012 season. Papplewick are just one place above them and the points difference is 22. Darren Bicknell is continuing to demonstrate his class despite a number of injuries and Jim Clayfield and Gurpej Landa are also in good shape with the bat and Lee Fazackerley with the ball. For the visitors, Alex Lloyd is shoring up the batting at the top of the order with some consistently good performances in support of Mark Nelson who has grabbed two fifties and a ton in scoring 482 season runs. The bowling unit is reliant on Jim Rhodes who has so far taken 21 wickets at less than 20.

Kiveton Park are bottom them and although they beat Belvoir earlier in the season, are still looking to find some consistent form. This weekend, they host the Nottinghamshire Academy side who have achieved two winning draws and a victory in their last three games; the county side welcome back Scott Elstone after his tour of duty with the Nottinghamshire T20 side. Bobby Gamble returns in the place of Simon Webster who has been called up to the England Under 16 squad. The home side will be looking to improve on the game earlier this season that resulted in an eight wicket win for the Academy despite a battling knock of 66 from Matthew Cartwright.

Second-placed West Indian Cavaliers travel to Caythorpe looking to shrink the 29 point gap on league leaders Clifton and in the process do the double over the home side. Back in May, the Cavs won by 4 wickets at Birchover Park with key performances from two of their star players; skipper Usman Afzaal scored 50 chasing down 153 and Saqlain Mushtaq took 4-22 from ten overs. Caythorpe lie in sixth place in table largely as a result of having a 2 to 5 win/loss ratio this season. They need to bounce back from recent losses to Clifton and Kimberley and will hope that James Hawley’s run of form continues; he has two fifties and two tons in the league this season and Steve Allcoat has also added three half centuries.

League leaders Clifton travel to the Fieldings to take on Mansfield Hosiery Mills and make it two from two against the Millers this season; the visitors have won their last three games, against Caythorpe, Kiveton and Wollaton and are the only side to retain an unbeaten record. The corresponding game last season ended in a winning draw for Clifton with runs for Martin Weightman and wickets for Liam Andrews. The Mansfield side have not won since their victory at the end of May at home to Cuckney and the stronger suit remains their batting with Gareth Curtis and Sudesh Fernando both scoring well.

Perhaps the game of the day takes place at the John Fretwell complex where Welbeck welcome Kimberley for a game that pits the third and fourth-placed teams. Welbeck were the run-away leaders for the first nine games of the season but their form has dipped since losing to the Cavaliers five weeks ago. Since then they have played out a succession of draws and need to start winning again soon if they are to mount a continuing challenge on the title. Kimberley were on a four match winning streak until last week when they couldn’t overcome Belvoir. The first game between these two this season ended with a knife-edge one run victory for Welbeck when Kimberley were dismissed chasing 203; Jonathan Ball and Luke Waterhouse will be hoping to recapture their form from that game as both grabbed three wickets.

The final game of the day sees Wollaton in ninth host Cuckney in seventh; the home side had improved on a poor start to the season but have recently slipped back again. They have lost their last three games, albeit against three of the leagues stronger sides – the Academy, Clifton and the Cavaliers. The previous game between these two sides earlier in the season was a close-fought affair which Cuckney won by 2 wickets despite an excellent spell of bowling from Wollaton’s 17 year-old Alex King who recorded 3-28 from 12 overs. Visitors Cuckney are having an up and down season and are looking to record their first win in 6 games. They have only lost one of their last five, against the Cavs, but seem to lack the fire power in either department to turn more draws into positive results.

The League’s representative side recently started their assault on the President’s Trophy when they defeated the Bassetlaw League at Glapwell by 60 runs. This coming Sunday 17^th July, they play the second round against the Yorkshire & Derbyshire League at Cuckney with the match starting at 1.30 pm.