Weekend preview: NPL season reaches halfway point

Papplewick v Thoresby Colliery
Thoresby opening batsmen, Farooq Aziz and Teb Mokwena put runs on the board. — Papplewick v Thoresby Colliery Thoresby opening batsmen, Farooq Aziz and Teb Mokwena put runs on the board.

The NCB Premier League season reaches the halfway point this weekend with the 11th round of fixtures taking place.

Leaders Caythorpe going into their match with revenge on their minds, visitors, Kimberley Institute emerging victorious over them last Sunday in the ECB Cup Regional Final.

Kimberley have more outright wins than Caythorpe in league play this season, but a matching number of defeats sees them down in seventh in the table. By contrast, Caythorpe have only tasted defeat once in the league.

Cuckney sit in second place, 18 points behind Caythorpe, but face a tricky match at home to the Notts Academy.

The Bears will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season at Ordsall last week, whilst the Academy will be looking to extend their five-match unbeaten run.

Plumtree, who have gone six without losing, make the short trip to Clifton Village.

The Plums are just a point behind Cuckney in third and in Hassan Azad have the league’s leading batsman, and also Glen Read a bowler tied for second in the wicket-taking stakes.

Clifton have gone four without a win and find themselves sliding into the bottom half of the table.

In a tightly packed top four, Welbeck are only 22 points behind Caythorpe.

Saturday sees them travel to Birchover Park where the inconsistent West Indian Cavaliers await for what could be a battle of the bowlers.

Two of the three men tied atop the bowling charts will go up against each other here as Corey Collymore leads the home attack, while Tom Lungley will look to keep the ‘Becks’ four-game unbeaten streak alive.

The bottom four are involved against each other in what could be a pivotal week for one or other of the sides.

Having secured a surprise first win of the season against Cuckney last week, Ordsall Bridon travel to the side who replaced in them in the bottom two.

Radcliffe-on-Trent have gone three without a win and now find themselves 10 points behind their visitors.

Farnsfield are 20 points adrift at the bottom of the table, and will need to arrest their run of six games without a win to get back amongst the pack at the bottom.

After being bundled out for less than 100 last week they will be hoping the visit of Attenborough will be the cure.

Attenborough sit tied with Clifton Village, 20 points above the relegation zone.