Division 4

Flecknoe v Willoughby 'A'

Flecknoe (216 all out – 20 pts) beat Willoughby ‘A’ (196 all out – 10 pts) by 20 runs

Of all the games and times!

There was no joy further up the road for Willoughby as they fell short in more ways than one in the local derby against Flecknoe.

The visitors were hampered with the 'absence'/non-arrival/call it what you will, of two of their starting XI, which resulted in them playing with only nine men throughout. Batting first, the hosts took advantage of the resulting gaps in the field to set a target chase of 216; Phil Morris (37), Matt Binder (27), Mark Adkins (26) the main contributors whilst Simon Nicholls took 4 for 42.

In reply, Karl Harland made 39 and Matt Goss 36, but the reduced Willoughby collective frustratingly fell 20 runs short of their victory target, making 196 for 8/all out; Binder taking 2 for 24 for Flecknoe.

Despite the defeat, Willoughby remain joint top of the table, thanks largely to their nearest rivals - Marston St Lawrence handily also losing, but defeat serves as a reminder to the remaining fixtures will see the promotion race go to the wire.