Hucknall Cricket Club up to fifth in the table after consecutive wins including victory over the league leaders

Hucknall Cricket Club produced an impressive performance last Saturday (9 July) to inflict just the second league defeat of the season on current leaders Cavaliers and Carrington.

Playing in front of a home crowd Hucknall were asked to bat first after losing the toss and rose to the challenge scoring an impressive 271-8 from their 50 overs.

After a slightly shaky start, valuable middle order partnerships from Sam Johnson and Richard Greatorex (59) and Greatorex and George Blatherwick (92) helped set the visitors a target of 272 to win.

Blatherwick ended unbeaten on 52 with Usman Arshad, Adam Ahmed and Mateen Teli taking two wickets apiece.

The visitors had looked nicely poised on 191-5 but the dismissal of captain Imran Butt for 88 proved vital. From there a batting collapse ensued and 'Cavs' were all out for 236 giving Hucknall a 35 run win. Blatherwick (4-61) was the pick of the bowlers

The result puts Hucknall fifth in the table and followed a win over Radcliffe meaning they recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time since the end of May. On that occasion they followed up a routine win over bottom side Notts & Arnold with an impressive home win over neighbours and fierce rivals Papplewick and Linby.

Speaking to Hucknall Nub News, Hucknall captain Sam Johnson said: "The last two weeks have been good, we've won both games so now the challenge over the last eight games of the season is to keep hammering away and see where we can end up."

Asked if he was proud of his side's win over the league leaders, he said: "Yeah it's really encouraging to be honest because it's where we want to get to. We want to be challenging at the top end of the table in the years to come so beating teams like that, we also beat Kimberley this year, we beat Papplewick, we beat Cuckney last year so that's the current top four if I'm not mistaken.

"We know we can do it in those isolated games and stuff but it's the likes of teams around us at the moment where we need to make sure we're on top form and winning those fixtures.

"I'd be really disappointed if we didn't finish in the top six. I know it's tight but we've shown we can do it in isolated games. So I'd almost call it a failure now if we didn't finish in the top six which is encouraging in some ways because we've been eighth and ninth in the last few years. It's on us now, we're the ones in possession we're fifth at the moment, we're the ones that need to make sure we hammer it home."

Whilst Johnson was pleased with the way his team played during the last two victories he picked out two individual performances that he felt were key to their success.

He said: "At Radcliffe away Matt Roberts got 80 not out in a tough run chase and played fantastically well, batted superbly, and won us the game with the bat.

"George Baltherwick on Saturday taking four wickets and scoring 50 odd not out, getting some of their key players out was massively important. George has been a revelation this season he's doing it with the bat and ball consistently, long it may continue."

Next up for Hucknall tomorrow (16 July) is an away trip to Plumtree who sit one place below them in the table in sixth.