First home game, ground looked in good nick but the wicket had been on the receiving end of a good rain soaking. Changes saw Jake ‘Shakey’ Edwards making his debut and Phil Burrows don his whites for the first time this season. Skipper Mick Clay won his second toss of the season and opted to put the visitors in to bat
Louis Burrows and Shakey were given the new ball. Both bowled with pace and accuracy beating the bat on numerous occasions without any luck. 7 over spells were completed with only 28 on the board after 14. Alex Showell replaced Burrows and Tom Yates on for Shakey, one loosener from each was soon put right as Yates trapped Lal LBW for 13 and Showell removed Hamid (18) courtesy of a Steve Dolby catch. Littleover continued to accumulate slowly with the occasional boundary until the 25th when Burrows reacted quickly to run out Ahmed (12), skipper Clay doing his best to make a mess by dropping the throw then missing the stumps with his first swipe before finally removing the bails with his next attempt. Yates then claimed Ali (1) with a Burrows catch with the score at 60 for 4. Showell then bowled Kushnud (16) in his final over. Khan then plundered a quickfire 16 before being caught in the deep by Gallagher off Yates. Dolby on for Showell bowled Nazir (1) in his opening over and Littleover were in trouble at 84 for 7 from 30 overs. Yates and Dolby bowled in tandem as Dolby then cleaned up the tail by removing Akbar (9) caught by Dennis Widdows, Hamid (0) with another close in Widdows catch and finally Hussain (12) caught by Edwards. Dolby finishing with 4 for 14. Littleover finishing on 107 in 38.2 overs. Burrows 7-1-10-0, Edwards 7-3 14-0, Showell 7-0-28-2, Yates 12-2-40-3 Dolby 5.2-2-14-4.
Dennis and Keith Widdows again opened looking to build another solid base but Dennis was soon to be undone as a swinging ball saw him caught behind for 0. Yates joined Keith as Widdows struck three quick boundaries to get the score moving. Yates (3) was soon caught at cover off a rising delivery from Hussain. Gallagher came to the crease in need of a score and after a watchful start began to hit the gaps and find the boundary. Widdows was the next to fall caught Ahmed bowled Khan for a useful 22. Cobley then joined Gallagher in the middle but was unable to recreate the clean hitting which put last week’s game against Darley Abbey safe. A huge bit good fortune for Littleover saw a ball from Khan strike Cobley (3) in the ‘crown jewels’ before trickling back onto leg stump. Dolby then strode out to meet Gallagher who had started to accumulate runs with ease. After unluckily finding the fielders a number of times with good shots Dolby(6) holed out at long off, off the bowling of Islam. Rolleston were now 73 for 5 from 21 overs, still requiring another 35 runs for victory. Showell joined Gallagher at the wicket and the pair went about knocking off the final runs. After some scary moments and some questionable shot selections Rolleston finally reached their target in the 31st over with a strong pull shot through mid-wicket by Gallagher (42). Showell was left not out on 19 at the other end.
Back to back wins for the 3rds against two of the league’s most competitive teams spells a fantastic start for the lads. Again it was the bowling performance which was the real highlight of the day for Rolleston but there were some encouraging performances with that bat as well. Hopefully players in form can continue and those looking for form can find some and with a settled team there’s real cause for optimism this season.
Rolleston 22pts, Littleover 3pts.

Here we go then, a new season, some new teams to face and renewed optimism following the excellent form that closed last season. The usual close season departures and arrivals meant the club faced plenty of changes and opportunities for youngsters would surely follow.
The fixture list threw up a visit to relegated Darley Abbey and a trip to this picturesque ground on a hot and sunny day provided the perfect start to the campaign. The track looked good and skipper Mick Clay “the man with the magic hands” wins the toss, in his pre match team talk he wanted to bat first but for some reason the words “we’ll bowl” came out of his mouth, interesting start!
Louis Burrows and Warren “X-Factor” Cowell took the new ball and after some tight bowling restricted the openers to just 2 an over after 12 overs on what appeared to be an excellent batting track. Showell replaced Burrows after 7 accurate overs whilst Cowell continued an inspiring and naggingly accurate spell from the pavilion end. Jepson decided it was time to push on and gave Showell little time to settle but the score continued to struggle above 3 an over. Tom “The Pieman” Yates was introduced shortly after drinks and his second ball, a rank long hop, did the trick as Roe (14) perished LBW with the score at 81 in the 25th over. Jepson continued to try and force the pace but was getting no change from Cowell who was unlucky not to remove him to a sharp chance at slip; Cowell completed an incredible 14 over spell by conceding just 17 runs and no boundaries. This put Darley under pressure to force the score along but Yates soon struck again to take a smart catch off his own bowling to remove Hodgson (11) at 117. Dolby replacing Cowell found Jepson to be in a determined mood but his aggression was his downfall with his score at 82 he chanced his arm once too often to Yates and Dennis Widdows grabbed a catch at mid wicket. McGarady (6) was next to go for a brief 6 and another Yates LBW victim. Hancock-Brown(33not) with some lofty blows managed to accelerate the score as 35 came from the final 4 overs to set a modest 179 for 4. Yates finishing with figures of 4 for 43. Burrows 7-1-26-0, Cowell 14-6-17-0, Showell, 5-0-32-0, Yates 11-1-43-4 Dolby 9-1-49-0.
Dad ‘n’ Lad combination of Dennis and Keith Widdows set about the 4 an over needed to win and wasted no time in taking charge of the openers with boundaries coming at regular intervals. Darley soon switched to an all spin attack in attempt to stem the flow and with the score at an untroubled 50 from 11 overs King managed to get Keith (5xfours) to play-on for a solid 26. Tom Yates joined Dennis and they continued to score at a good rate before Yates was bowled around his legs for 10. Dave Gallagher was up next but was soon in trouble offering a catch to Hodgson again off the leg spin bowling of Fitzpatrick for 2. Brett Cobley joined Dennis with the score wobbling a little at 73 for 3 and in typical style set about dismantling the Darley attack as though he was playing on the beach. In belligerent style Brett smashed 6 fours and a massive six in his quick fire 39 to take the game away from Darley at 132 for 4. Steve Yates joined Dennis (6xfours) who patiently reached a well deserved 50 before offering a simple caught and bowled to Hodgson out of the blue. At 136 for 5 Darley sensed a chance and the field tightened to put pressure on the two new batsmen Yates and Dolby. However with the field in close it left the chance to go over the top and Yates wasted no time in hitting 4, 6, 4 off King who was quickly removed from the attack. Dolby had added 11 before being bowled by the returning Hughes at 161 for 6. Showell joined Yates and added a patient 5 in taking the scores level but when going for glory was taken nonchalantly at mid-off by Atkins off Hughes. Burrows was dismissed first ball by Hughes. At 179 for 8 the game was taking a nervous twist, but cometh the hour, cometh the man an old head (on a very old body) Skipper Clay having rushed to put his kit back on nudged his first ball into the space at mid wicket and the victory was sealed. Steve Yates ending unbeaten on 27 (4xfours, 1xsix).
A solid start with some excellent bowling and batting although a few points gifted at the end.
Darley Abbey 8pts, Rolleston 22pts

Final game of the season and what a day, brilliant sunshine, the ground looked a picture following the hard work of John ‘Greenfingers’ Hodson such a shame that it cant be enjoyed for longer, thanks all the same John, your hard work is well appreciated but more thanks at the end of the report.
On with the game, A&B desperately looking for points to avoid relegation put Rolleston in to bat on what looked like a flat batting wicket. With the regular openers missing the roles were handed over to ‘the veteran Steve’s’ Dolby and Yates. First up Yates enjoyed watching 5 wides in the first over sail safely past him before Dolby eventually managed to reach a ball to score the first off the bat. The second over however proved a different story. With the ball in-swinging wildly Sumner clean bowled Dolby(1) to put the home team onto the back foot. Tom Yates joined Yates senior and the pair grafted through the pursuing overs as they tried to come to terms with the swinging ball. Despite this the scoreboard was moving along healthily mainly due to the ever increasing number of wides filling the scorebook. Tom in particular started to treat anything loose with contempt. Steve whilst seeing off the openers took his score to 28 (four 4s) before eventually holing out at deep point with the score on 83 in the 21st over. Skipper and master tactician Mick Clay promoted himself up the order to join Tom but despite a couple early boundaries was bowled for 8. At 93 for 3 the welcomed return of Jon Hall started to really get the score moving. With Yates being ruthless to anything short and Hall pushing singles off almost every delivery the score was gathering momentum. Yates completed a fine 50 and continued to dominate eventually being caught at deep mid on on 65 (eleven 4s) with the score now 177 from 40 overs. Enter Brett Cobley, 2 massive sixes and lost balls later Brett and Jon took the score to 213 before Brett fell to a magnificent diving legside catch by the keeper for 16. To the crease comes Nigel Tate and off 7 deliveries smashed a superb 22 not out including two 6s and two fours and with Jon Hall launching 2 more sixes in a magnificent unbeaten 60 they took the score to a healthy 240 for 5 at the interval.
A&B bowling figures, K.Pearce 7-0-50-0, A.Sumner 10-2-43-2, T.Pope 14-1-43-1, E.Haliba 7-0-56-1, S.Nicholas 6-2-11-1, M.P.Johal 2-0-13-0.
The responsibility of pursuit for early wickets was handed to Louba Burrows and Warren ‘X Factor’ Cowell. With a high required run rate of over 5 an over the A&B openers could not afford a slow start, and Johal wasted little time in trying to get ahead of the game. Rolleston were unlucky not to remove both opening batsman in the first 10 overs but a drop at slip and another at deep square leg didn’t help the cause and with the edge of the bat being found regularly and many aerial shot falling into no-mans-land. Johal rode his luck and was beginning to find the boundary at regular intervals. Showell replaced Louba but was unable to break the opening partnership. T.Yates took over from Cowell at the Sheep End in the hope that taking pace off the ball may do the trick. Dolby then replaced unlucky A.Showell in the 23rd over. The visitors had raced to 109 for 0 from 23 overs before T.Yates made the break through trapping S.Mann(22) LBW, but this time the ‘Pie Shop’ was well and truly closed. This was the spark that triggered the collapse of A&B as they lost 9 wickets for just 68 runs. A magnificent running catch by tate on the long on fence and another steepling over the shoulder catch by S Yates aiding the guile of Dolbys seam bowling. In the very next over Dolby removed the dangerous Johal(74) with a beauty which just lifted the bail from the top of off-stump. T.Yates and Dolby then bowled in tandem for the next 18 overs and between them took 6 wickets for just 56 runs, Dolby taking 5 of the wickets in a magnificent spell of 5-38. A&B had crumbled to 168 for 8 from 43 overs and now had the difficult task of trying to hold on for a losing draw. S.Yates replaced the impressive T.Yates (3 for 37) in an attempt to prise a wicket out of the A&B batsman. Step-forward Nige ‘The Whippet’ Tate, after a soft push down the ground and a call for a single Nige swooped round and in one movement hurled down the stumps with the batsman not even close to making his ground, 9 down. After an over littered with mysterious spin, wrongs ‘uns and brutal pace which clearly bamboozled both the batsman and the skipper behind the stumps the unlucky S.Yates was removed from the attack and replaced with the opening bowled Burrows. With the 5th ball of the final over Burrows bowled a high full toss which was top edged by the stubborn S.Sumner, and T.Yates raced in from short cover to take the catch. Needless to say the Rolleston boys erupted in jubilation only for the ‘Were too honest for our own good’ square leg umpire to call a no-ball. Sumner then batted of the remaining ball with no problems. A&B finishing on 178 for 9. That brought an eventful season to a close for the 3rds in which there had been some truly magnificent performances and some truly terrible ones but the boys should certainly take heart from the late season form.
Final word must go to some excellent performances along the way from a largely young side, thanks from the Lads to skipper Mick Clay for his hard work on matchdays, John Hodson for being both an ever present scorer and our groundsman alongside Dave Woodburn and thanks to Kay and the ‘Tea girls’ for the best teas in the league. Thanks to all who’ve been down to watch the Lads give their best on matchdays, its great to see you and finally I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the reports, a bit of fun and maybe a bit biased but a decent account of our season…. Roll on 2010 !!
L.Burrows 7-2-25-0, W.Cowell 7-0-37-0, A.Showell 5-0-33-0, T.Yates 14-4-37-3, S.Dolby 12-2-38-5, S.Yates 1-0-10-0
Rolleston 19pts Alvaston & Boulton 8pts

n thanks from all the lads for writing up such an impressive match report each week without fail!
it is always a gd laugh to read n mayb u shud b takin up journalism!!! :P
it must take a long time to write the report so cheers Yakka :D

Last weeks terrific victory over high flying Uttoxeter gave the Rolleston camp plenty of reason to believe they could end the season on a high note. A visit to table topping Derby Congs would represent a stern test for a young Rolleston line up. Nigel Tate came in for Dolby who was on duty with the 2nds. Rolleston were invited to bat and for the second week in a row opened with Gallagher and Widdows. Gallagher(4) was the first to go in the 3rd over, bowled by Palmer. Henderson and Widdows then went about trying to build a solid base for the middle and lower order batsman to push on from later in the game. With some fine stroke play and quality running the two brought the score up to 50 for 1 from 14 overs. The 2nd wicket then fell as Widdows(27) was superbly caught at short cover. Without another run being added to the score Henderson(14) also perished, the score now stood at 51 for 3 from 16 overs. S.Yates and Cobley now had the task for trying to rebuild the innings and get Rolleston into a winning position. But only 13 more runs were added before Cobley(12) fell bowled by Singh. T.Yates then joined S.Yates in the middle with things starting to look a little desperate for the visitors. The pair added 21 runs before S.Yates was stumped of the bowling of Mahmood. Mahmood proved tobe a thorn in the side as he bowled a full spell of 14 overs of probing good length left arm off-spin for a misery 19. N.Tate(1) and Showell(0) then soon came and went, and with the score now at 87 for 7 from 30 overs to even get to 100 looked a difficult task for the remaining Rolleston batsman. But Skipper Clay and T.Yates kept the score ticking over with the odd boundary and Rolleston had soon gained their first point of the day passing 100. The pair moved the score on to 122 before T.Yates(18) fell in an attempt to finish the inning with a flourish. Burrows(2) then holed out at long-on. Step forward the new all-rounder Warren Cowell after two sublime shots for 1 and looking in terrific form he was left stranded when Captain and all-round nice guy Mick Clay(29) perished in the 45th over with Rolleston looking set for a huge score, as it was they settled for a modest 143. A.Palmer 8.3-1-25-4, S.Nawaz 10-0-41-0, K.Mahmood 14-5-19-2, N.Singh 8-1-30-2, S.Baines 4-2-13-2.
Again Rolleston had a difficult task of trying to defend a score below 150, Henderson and Cowell took the new ball but had to wait until the 5th over to get the breakthrough as Henderson removed Singhs(1)leg stump from the ground with the score at 10. Hussain joined Siddiqui and the pair attempted in typical flamboyant style to finish the game early. Burrows replaced Henderson and soon removed Hussain(6) courtesy of a Henderson catch. With the score at 57 Burrows bowled an impatient Siddiqui (33) to end a superb 6 over spell that yielded 2 for 14. Alex Showell replaced Burrows and leading wicket taker T. Yates came on for Cowell in the 23rd over. Yates’ 3rd ball proved to be a right juicy full toss in the form of a sloppy Blueberry and Apple pie. Basran(5) smashed the crust off it straight at S.Yates at short mid-wicket, who, after a lengthy audition for the jugglers job at Billy Smarts Circus gratefully grabbed it at the 5th attempt to reduce Congs to 69 for 4. Yates soon collected his 2nd scalp as Azam (7) was caught and bowled. Mick ‘The Tinkerman’ Clay, despite some obvious discomfort to his washing up hands and the request to his pacemen “not to bowl that hard ball so fast” constanty fiddled with his field placings (amongst other things!!) tried to unsettle the batting team. Was it a sign of a great skipper? Or just some bloke who hadn’t got a clue? Genius comes in many disguises. Showell then came to the party in his 4th over as he superbly deceived Palmer(14) with a slower ball which saw S.Yates grab a gently lofted push to mid off. Congs were reeling at 87 for 6 from 29 overs and Rollestons magnificent fielding was all too apparent to the incoming batsmen. This brought together veteran brothers Mark and Steve Baines who looked to be the last hope for the league leaders. The pair mixed watchful defence with aggression and no small amount of good fortune as they set about the 57 still required for victory. The returning Henderson bowled with genuine aggression and could easily have removed the pair in the same over as a miscued drive by S Baines dropped agonisingly over the head of Burrows and then M Baines was dropped at short mid on. It proved to be the last throw of the dice as the pair steered Congs to victory in the 39th over and a youthful Rolleston were to be denied victory after a terrific display in a good natured encounter, a shame someone had to lose. Congs were quick to acknowledge Rollestons efforts and described the team as the best fielding side in the division. Henderson 8-1-42-1, Cowell 11-1-29-0, Burrows 6.1-1-14-2, Showell 5-0-20-1, T Yates 8-0-35-2 provided the attack
Derby Congs 22pts Rolleston 5pts.

Uttoxeter were the next visitors to Marchington on an overcast and windy afternoon. Flying high in 2nd place in the table Uttoxeter were one of the favourites for promotion and would provide a stern test for a rejuvenated Rolleston outfit. Rolleston won the toss an elected to field first to try and take advantage of the favourable conditions. Cowell and Henderson took the new ball against Birch and Wheeldon. Wheeldon(2) was soon back in the hut with 4 for 1 from 2 overs. Gallagher taking the catch at mid-on off Henderson. Hayes then joined Birch and after edging his 2nd ball between slip and gully began his onslaught. Birch(10) was the next to go bowled by Cowell. Bailey(2) soon came and went after he was superbly caught by S.Yates after having to sprint from slip towards a short 3rd man and taking a steepling ball dropping over his shoulder, Showell the bowler. Finally the dangerous Hayes’ barrage of boundaries was ended in the 19th over when Cowell clean bowled him for 52 with the score at 83 for 4 from 19 overs. Rolleston then began to take wickets at regular intervals. First Powell(24) falling to Dolby after a good catch from Cobley. Cottier and Hunt were both removed by Cowell for ducks, Rolleston now in complete control with the score at 115 for 7 from 27 overs. The stubborn Mellor was the removed by a ball that sharply spun out of the rough from spinner T.Yates in the 33rd over. Yates then took the wicket of Bennett(8) in the same over with one of his many variations, this time ‘The Pork Pie’, Burrows took a terrific catch at deep square leg. It then fell to Henderson to deal the fatal bowl removing Walmsley(10) with the first ball of the 36th over, Burrows again taking a fine catch. Uttoxeter finished on 145 and had only used 36 of the possible 46 overs. The remaining 10 over’s were now at Rolleston’s disposal in their innings.
Rolleston’s bowling figures, Cowell 14-3-56-4, Henderson 6.1-3-20-2,
Showell 4-0-31-1, Dolby 7-1-23-1, T.Yates 4-1-9-2.
Rolleston had a strong batting line up and could afford to alter the order a little to give chances up the order for some and a rest from top order batting for others. Gallagher(2) and Widdows(4) opened the batting against some hostile bowling from the young paceman, Middleton. Both openers were soon back in the pavilion having edged swinging deliveries from Middleton through to the slips and keeper. S.Yates and Burrows then went about trying to build a partnership but Burrows(2) was soon dismissed when he gloved an unplayable delivery that pitched on a good length and exploded off the wicket, Middleton again taking the wicket. Rolleston now looked to be in a bit of trouble at 18 for 3 from 7 overs. At this point Captain Clay stepped into the frame with a timely reminder of the laws to the Uttoxeter captain who wanted to continue with his dangerous paceman but the age restriction meant Middleton could only bowl 7 consecutive overs, despite plenty of arguing Clay stood firm, rule book in his hand and the Uttoxeter team had to finish fielding with egg on their faces. Yates and Dolby then batted sensibly but positively and took the score to 52 from 14 overs before Yates(23) fell to Bennett. Cobley then joined Dolby and in typical style scored his runs quickly with some tremendous shots straight back past the bowler . Cobley(20) finally fell when again the pitch misbehaved resulting in Cobley offering an easy catch to point. T.Yates then joined Dolby with the score on 95 for 5 from 24 overs. The pair then put on 18 before Dolby(47) fell to a sharp rising delivery from the returning Middleton. Dolby’s fine innings had almost certainly set the foundations for a Rolleston win. It was the left to Yates and Showell to score the remaining 32 runs needed to win the game. Showell bludgeoned a 4 to the long-off boundary in the 41st to secure the point for Rolleston, Yates(16no) and Showell(18no). A fine team display with everybody making valuable contributions, but a special mention to Warren Cowell for his fine spell of 14-3-56-4 and Steve Dobly for a terrific knock of 47. Middleton 13.1-3-47-4, Hunt 6-0-18-0, Bennett 11-1-31-2, Walmsley 4-0-28-0, Hayes 3-0-8-0, Powell 3-0-11-0 doing the leg work for Uttoxeter.
Rolleston 22pts, Uttoxeter 5pts.

After finding winning form Rolleston now travelled to lowly Packington where a victory would surely see Rolleston safe from relegation. Unavailability within the club meant many changes and the inclusion of a number of 4th team players gave them the opportunity to show their skills. Rolleston were invited to bat and with the omission of a number of top order batsmen S Yates opened with A Brown. The track proved to be decent but unpredictable from one end where the bounce was variable and inconsistent. Brown (6) was unlucky to play on to a swinging delivery. Nigel Tate joined S Yates (4) who soon followed Brown in the same manner this time playing on at the opposite end. T Yates came to the crease short of form and soon saw the departure of Tate (4). T Yates (0) bad luck was to continue as he received a poor decision for LBW. Rolleston were reeling at 14 for 4. Skipper Clay and B Cobley set about repairing the damage and took the score to 66 thanks to some lusty blows from Cobley (32) Clay and Phil Tate advanced the score to 80 before Clay (17) was out. Mick Acton (30) came to the crease and with youngster Tate (22) the score crept up to 127. Greg Hand (11) replaced the outgoing Tate and Actons belligerent innings was replaced by the incoming Cowell (1) who was last man out with the innings closing in the 44th over at 147. Anywell 8-3-17-1, Bee 8-0-34-3, Jones 14-5-33-3, Shearer 7-0-38-1 and Stenstrom 6.2-0-17-2 being the Packington bowlers.
Another modest score meant tight bowling and active fielding was needed from Rolleston. Cowell and Foster took the new ball and after some accurate bowling Packingtom were in trouble at 33 for 3 from 16 overs. Cowell claiming opener Clark for 6 and Foster dismissing Blackburn (13) LBW and bowling Hayes (4). This unfortunately proved to be a false dawn for Rolleston as despite a number of bowling changes no more wickets were to fall as Kirk (55no) and Jones (61no) put on 128 runs to see Packington home. A disappointing result from a team playing well under par on the day. A poor start to the innings from which Rolleston never really recovered was backed up by 44 overs which only yielded 3 wickets and a couple of catches missed behind all added up to a bad day at the office.
Cowell 12-2-33-1, Foster 12-5-21-2, Hand 4-0-21-0, Acton 5-0-28-0 T Yates 6-0-18-0 and A Brown 5-1-22-0 were the bowlers.
Packington 22pts Rolleston 3pts.

Walton were the next visitors to fortress Marchington on a windy and overcast Saturday afternoon. The corresponding away return fixture yielded Rolleston a winning draw with a fine display with both bat and ball. Once again Rolleston were sent into bat after Claydo lost the toss. Returning to the top of the order D.Gallagher opened with A.Brown. The two had obviously been watching the start of the Twenty20 finals day and subsequently raced to 60 for 0 from the first 8 overs, with Gallagher hitting 43, but attempting to keep the momentum with Rolleston he was undone by a swinging delivery which crashed into the stumps, his innings included 9 fours. T.Yates then joined Brown but after some fine strokes including a 6 and two 4’s Brown(23) holed out at long off. Struggling to find the pace of the pitch Yates soon followed without troubling the scorers. Rolleston were now 81 for 3 from 16 overs. D.Henderson(26) and N.Tate(16) then put on a good quick paced 47 run partnership for the 4 wicket before Tate fell with the score on 128 for 4 from 23 overs. Henderson soon followed in the next over. M.Clay and B.Cobley looked to continue the quick scoring and started to build a good partnership before Cobley(6) fell to Felgate. The score was now 154 for 6 from 28 overs. Rolleston then lost their final 4 wickets for just 9 runs. The wickets being L.Burrows(0), W.Cowell(0), T.Foster(0) and M.Clay(20). M.Acton stranded at the non-strikers end having looked very assured in his score of 1. The innings finished on a disappointing 163 in the 35th over after a promising start, but after last Sundays heroics in the field anything was possible. H.Mills 7-2-54-1, C.Widdowson 4-1-20-0, M.Mills 6-1-24-1, D.Felgate 13-4-41-4, M.Clewes 4.4-2-8-4 provided the Walton bowling attack.
Rolleston needed to take early wickets as Walton now had 57 overs to achieve the required 164 to win. Rolleston opened up with W.Cowell and Dan ‘The Badger’ Henderson. Rolleston could have very easily taken a wicket with the first ball of the innings after a ball from Cowell was edged though the slips. It was clear Rolleston needed something special to spark them into life, and that was exactly what they got. After a good probing spell by Henderson he was replaced by Foster who in his 3rd over took the wicket of M.Clewes(31) after a tremendous diving catch by Cobley at square leg. The score was now at 55 for 1 from 16 overs. T.Yates then replaced Acton who had earlier taken over from Cowell and Yates made an immediate impact. Yates’s clever ploy to chuck a chicken and mushroom pie of a ball down first up paid off as R.Lynch(28) miss timed his shot and Brown took a smart catch at short mid-wicket. Yates then took another wicket in his 2nd over, this time bowling M.Foster(21). Trevor Foster then removed M.Moreton(1) when he found the edge and the catch was taken by Pepe Clay. Suddenly Walton had started to wobble at 90 for 4 from 26 overs and the Rolleston boys had their tails up. Rolleston continued to build the pressure and only 3 runs being scored in the next 6 overs was all too much to bear as D.Felgate(1) was bowled by the unerring accuracy of Foster. Walton now 94 for 5 from 32 overs. C.Widdowson(6) was the next to fall this time to a beef and onion pie of a ball from Yates, caught in the deep by Burrows. Burrows soon took centre stage again after a terrific piece of fielding resulting in the run out of the somewhat grumpy A.Hemmingway(6). Walton were now 118 for 7 from 40 overs. Burrows replaced Yates (after he ran out of pies to bowl) and Dan Henderson returned to replace Foster, after a luckless first spell he delivered the fatal blow to Walton’s hopes of winning the game. In three successive balls he removed L.Hemmingway(15), A.Fearn(13) and finally M.Mills(0). Burrows taking another fine catch at point to remove Mills. The Rolleston boys then with no regard for Dan’s bad back decided to make to worlds largest pile on with Henderson and Burrows firmly at the bottom of it! W.Cowell 5-1-18-0, D.Henderson 9.3-1-27-3, M.Acton 6-1-34-0, T.Foster 12-6-21-3, T.Yates 9-1-21-3, L.Burrows 2-0-11-0.
A fantastic result for Rolleston and one that at half time looked almost impossible. Now with 53 points from a possible 81 in the last three games the 3rds look virtually safe from relegation.
Rolleston 27pts, Walton 7pts.

Following yesterdays first victory Rolleston had every reason to be optimistic of another positive performance. Ticknall were flying high in the division after an inconsistent start to the season. Rolleston were asked to bat first and Alex Brown and Tom Yates took to the crease. Some accurate bowling from Parkes and aggression from Dolan proved difficult to get the score moving. Brown (5) became Parkes first victim with the score at 11. Joe Bellm (1) fell shortly after following some indecision and a run out. Steve Yates joined Tom and in typical belligerent style hit Dolan for four in his first few deliveries faced. A six and another four in Dolans next over to Yates senior pushed the score to 29 before Dolan got one to move away to S Yates (14), the keeper taking the catch behind. Tom Yates continued his patient approach as Steve Dolby (1) tried to keep the score moving before falling to Parkes. Dave Gallagher moved down the order joined Tom Yates (10) but just as Tom looked set to start to play some shots fell to his second LBW of the weekend. Alex Showell (24) and Dave Gallagher (23) then put together the innings biggest partnership of 33 before Gallagher became another LBW victim but not before Dave gained some much needed relief with some strong stroke play. Showell, Mick Clay (35) and Andy Cooper (9) dug in for 16 overs to push the score into 3 figures. Warren Cowell (0) fell quickly so it was left to the old heads of Clay and Trevor Foster (7no) to stretch the score to a modest 141. Parkes 14-6-16-2 and Hurt 14-3-47-4 being the pick of the Ticknall bowlers A stirring effort from the Rolleston batsmen which gave the bowlers something to try and defend.
Ticknall took to the challenge in confident mood but soon discovered that runs were not going to be easy to find. Despite an opening stand of 28 Rolleston soon started to put the Ticknall boys nerves on edge. Some typically accurate bowling from Cowell went unrewarded but soon put the home side behind the clock. Andy Cooper at the other end bowled with good pace for his single wicket haul but proved equally difficult to score off. The introduction of Trevor Foster soon paid dividends with 3 wickets in 4 overs as Ticknall collapsed from 28 for 0 to 42 for 4, Joe Bellm claiming a terrific diving catch at square leg. It should have been 5 wickets down as inexplicably Bunyan survived a clear run out before top scoring with 24, an innings which continued to keep the match evenly balanced. Tom Yates came into the attack in an attempt to take some pace off the ball and get the batsmen to play some shots. Foster continued his precision seam bowling and with Yates claiming 2 vital wickets a catch and a run out the match swung in Rollestons favour at 101 for 8 following two great catches from Foster and Dolby. Ticknall skipper Meakin (22no) and Parkes (18no) somehow survived the last 11 overs despite numerous loose shots and the frustration for Alex Showell of taking a wicket with a no-ball. Dolby and Showell couldn’t find the breakthrough Rolleston craved despite some heroic fielding. Ticknall inched closer to their target but closed the innings 5 runs short and a winning draw went to Rolleston to cap off a successful weekend. Cowell 10-2-23-0, Cooper 10-3-26-1, Foster 10-4-19-4, Yates 10-1-33-2, Showell 3-0-11-0 and Dolby 3-1-12-0 again doing the legwork. Special mention to Trevor Foster for a fantastic weekends bowling exhibition which yielded 19.2overs, 7 maidens, 41 runs and 9 wickets.
Ticknall 11pts Rolleston 14pts

The first half of a double header weekend for the 3rds meant a visit to Abbots Bromley. Skipper Mick Clay invited the hosts to bat on green wicket. Rolleston opened up with Warren ‘Wozza’ Cowell and Nige ‘or is it Phil’ Tate. After a very tight start by the bowlers the Bromley batsman were pressured into trying to force the issue and in Cowell’s 4th over, C.Johnson(5) was bowled when playing across the line to a straight ball. Nige then finished his spell with figures of 6-0-19-0, a fine effort for his first attempt at opening the bowling. Cowell continued to trouble the batsman and took another wicket in his 7th over. Steve ‘Big Yak’ Yates took a smart catch at mid-on to remove P.Attwell(6). Later in the same over the dangerous looking H.Bailey(17) was run out after Dave “Butterfingers” Gallagher decided to catch it, then drop it, then catch it again only to drop it again after a failed third attempt at juggling he decided it was simpler to pick the ball up and run the batsman out instead, while the rest of his team mates enjoyed the entertainment. Trevor ‘Fossy Bear’ Foster took over from Tate and made an immediate impact taking three wickets in his first four overs to remove C.Stevenson(6), M.Tracey(5) and Micks long lost brother A.Clay(18). Not to be out done Fabio Cowell took two wickets of his own removing N.Neary(7) LBW and N.Taylor(1) to a steepling catch by Steve Yates before embarking on a mission to avoid buying the “jug”. Foster continued to threaten the Bromley batsman and completed his tremendous spell when he claimed wickets 4 and 5 in his 9th and 10th overs, when he knocked over A.Kirkland(12) and E.Arblaster(0), like a fine cheese, stronger with age and maturing in quality (and no smell…). The Rolleston bowlers had done a fantastic job of restricting Bromley to only 89 runs from 31.2 overs. Superb spells from W.Cowell 14-4-43-4 and T.Foster 9.2-3-22-5 doing the damage, with good contributions from N.Tate 6-0-17-0 and T.Yates 2-0-3-0.
Rolleston opened with Dave Gallagher and Duncan Boddy knowing that 90 to win would be more difficult than it ought to be on a slow track. So it would seem as Gallaghers run of low scores continued when he offered a simple catch to mid on off the second ball, the drying track still stopping on the batsman. Tom Yates and Boddy then took the score cautiously through the next 13 overs as they patiently waited for any loose deliveries. With the score on 53 Yates (14) then fell to Kirkland. Steve Yates then joined Boddy and the pair then set about finishing the job, Boddy continued to pick his shots whilst Yates (20no) decided a firework display was more appropriate, a six off his 2nd ball was soon followed by two fours and another six in the next over. Boddy eventually fell to a catch at gully after a patient but decisive 31 with the score at 82. Nigel Tate came and went when he perished first ball, so it was left to Brett Cobley to finish proceedings in style with a six to bring the scores level before pushing an easy single for the winner in the 20th over. A season of hard endeavour for an ever changing side finally got its reward in a first victory since the opening game of last season, the 22 points stretching the margin of safety from the relegation zone to 24 points.
Abbots Bromley 2pts Rolleston 22pts