Ibstock Town CC 1st's Vs Lutterworth 1st's

Saturday saw the two in-form sides of Division One lock swords at Melbourne Road. Lutterworth were the days visitors with maximum points from the season so far, while Ibstock came into the game on a fine 6 game winning run. Skipper Tom Brotherhood brought Matt Sharp back in at the expense of Will Pickering in a sole change from last weeks win over Ashby Hastings.

Brotherhood won the toss and elected to bat on another fine day in this English summer, with Sharp and Tom Oliver resuming their opening partnership. Sharp departed in the second over, finely edging to the keeper after a ball rose sharply on him. Sagar Patel replaced him and looked to nullify the moving ball, however the visitors patience paid off as he would also be given out, adjudged to have edged behind for 6. Dylan Blignaut joined Oliver but the latter would fall shortly after, being trapped in front of the stumps for 17. Chris Trevis was next in but his efforts to put a stop to the roll Lutterworth were on proved futile as he would mishit a pull shot to give the visiting keeper a third catch, leaving the hosts reeling at 26-4 from 10 overs. Jack Taylor joined Blignaut and combined for the hosts biggest partnership of the innings (22), before the latter would be deceived by a ball seaming away to take his off stump. Taylor continued his assault on the attack alongside Brotherhood but would fall to a fine catch in the ring for an aggressive 15. Jake Poole would come and go for a first ball duck, dangling a bat to edge behind and bringing Joe Finch to the crease. His stay would also be short lived, chipping to mid off, and Harry Crane would also spend a short time in the middle, being bowled going back to a full length delivery. Dom Mirner would join a now free flowing Brotherhood who was taking the attack to the visiting seamers, but he would fall for 30 going for one big hit too many to end the hosts innings on 93 inside 21 overs.

Despite the poor performance, spirits were high in the Ibstock camp and that mood was buoyed when Blignaut struck with the first ball of the innings, inducing an edge which found the grateful clutches of Poole at first slip. Some unorthodox batting followed which pushed the score over 50 as Brotherhood chopped and changed between his seamers. Finch would end the partnership as a leading edge would be caught by Crane in the ring. Mirner, who was regularly beating the bat would then find an edge through to Oliver but the damage was largely done, with the visitors needing just 27 for victory at this point. Brotherhood would then trap the remaining opener LBW before grabbing a second wicket following a smart catch from Trevis at short cover. Mirner would take the sixth and final wicket as the batsman tried to work the ball to third man, seeing the ball loop into the hands of Blignaut at gully.

The visitors victory followed shortly after to end Brotherhoods unbeaten reign as captain, but he and his team remain upbeat ahead of a double header weekend, where they will face bottom side Shepshed on Saturday, followed by returning to County Cup action on Sunday, again hosting another Premier Division outfit in Langtons.