Late recovery saves some Town pride

Spalding Town suffered a mauling at Bourne in the Lincolnshire Board Premier League, crashing to an eight-wicket defeat.
The visitors posted 172/9 from their 50 overs, having recovered from 85/7 but high-flying Bourne needed only 22.3 overs to reply with a winning 173/2.
None of the Spalding batsmen could kick on after getting themselves in, with Brandon Andrews (43), Nilantha Atapattu (37), Jon Manton (28) and Chris Dring (20) all having offered hope.
Only a 51-run eighth-wicket stand between Andrews and Atapattu gave Spalding the foundations to bat out their overs.
Sam Evison led the home response, scoring 77 in 59 balls, with support from Jack Berry (40), Jonathan Cheer (29no) and Peter Morgan (17no).
William Gardner
(1-20) and Mitch Freeman (1-34) were the Spalding wicket-takers.
It was a day for the bowlers in the top-of-the-table clash between Long Sutton and Woodhall Spa Seconds in the South Lincs & Border League Championship.
Leaders Long Sutton’s grip on top spot looked shaky when third-placed Woodhall Spa sent them back to the pavilion inside 37 overs.
However, Josh Baker had other ideas and ripped through the home batting order to claim 7-14 to leave them all out for just 77 in replay after 21 overs.
Despite their below-par total of 162, two Spalding batsmen did reach half-centuries, with opener Baker hitting nine 4s in his 52. However, when he fell, the visitors were rocking on 77/5 and soon lost another wicket with only five runs added.
Step forward Paul Edgeller. Together with Dom Clay (20) he put on 70 for the seventh wicket and finished the innings unbeaten on 55, having sent seven of the 84 balls he received to the boundary. However, the other eight batsmen mustered just 17 between them, one fewer than Woodhall Spa handed over in extras and things looked bleak at tea.
Baker then took centre stage to take six of the first home wickets to tumble as the scoreboard recorded a trickle of just 18 runs.
He added one more to his tally to go with wickets for Edgeller, Barry Stanway and Charlie Crisp. Last man Dan Carr top-scored under the onslaught with an unbeaten 24 to his name after a last-wicket stand of 42.
Sutton Seconds are also riding high, sitting proudly atop Division Two after a 71-run home win against Burghley Park Seconds.
However, it needed a mid-innings boost from Steve Norris, who hit a pair of sixes and 19 4s in his 90-ball 104 having entered the fray on 24/3 and departing as last man out with the score having reached 224 in the 45th over. Ed Munson was his main partner, scoring 30 in a 109-run seventh-wicket stand.
The Burghley Park opening pair proved a tough nut to crack but, once they had departed, having struck 64 between them, only James Bigg (38) and Alex Marshall (22) caused any problems, the only ones of the remaining batsmen to get out of single figures as their team succumbed for 153.
Rob Simpson was the pick of the Sutton bowlers, finishing with 4-39 from his nine overs.
Spalding Third XI remain a point off bottom spot following a seven-wicket defeat at home to Belton Park.
Opener Andrew Sorrell struck three 4s in his 15 but four of the following batsmen failed to score and only a late flurry from Joe Watson (11) and Billy Gallagher (10) helped lift Spalding to 65 from 16.2 overs. Destroyer-in-chief for Belton was Richard Brewer, whose seven overs saw him reap a 7-14 reward.
Hopes of an unlikely comeback were raised when the first three wickets to fall in the reply only mustered 21 runs but an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership between Rohan Perera (21) and Alfred Araldno (16) saw the visitors over the line in the 23rd over.
Watson shone brightest for Spalding with three maidens in his 1-5 from five overs.
Leaders Long Sutton preserved their unbeaten record in Division Two of the Rutland Sunday League but had the weather to offer a big thank-you to.
Bottom-placed hosts Oakham were in rampant form as they piled up 318/8 in their 45 overs with opener James Laud scoring 105 as they rattled up 198/1 before easing off as Joe Whitaker brought some late respect with 4-58.
Sutton slumped to 50/3 in reply and when the rain came after 14.4 overs, Jacob Gray (30no) was leading a mini fightback at 85/3 but with only two-thirds of their innings remaining.
Long Sutton Seconds were also stumped by the rain in Division Four East, also against bottom-placed opponents in the shape of Peterborough Town Seconds.
The visitors were in action for the first time after conceding three matches and having one cancelled. They made up for lost time, moving to 259/3 in 34.3 overs before the match was abandoned.
The innings had started well for Sutton, with three batsmen down for an aggregate of eight runs but opener Balaji Ganesan (160no) and Srinivas Ganeshan (70no) were making hay while the sun shone – thankfully for the hosts, that did not last too long.