Hat-trick sees Langley Mill snatch defeat from jaws of victory

Chasing 259, the Millers looked on course before losing their last five wickets for just 20 balls faced with the final three tumbling to an Ousman Khizer hat-trick and all out for 192.

Millers cricket manager Aaron Tullet added: “It was defeat from the jaws of victory, but the positive side is that we put ourselves into a winning position.

“I’m really happy with our attitude and approach, it’s about building on what we have done so far, learning and gaining momentum as we go through the season.”

Ticknall are former winners of the Premier Division and will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.

Ticknall won the toss and elected to bat despite, or because of, having only 10 men at the start; former Derbyshire player and Ticknall captain Paul Borrington arriving late and not being able to open the batting, the home team were also missing Tom Wood and Alex Hughes both on duty with Derbyshire.

Despite good early bowling, Ticknall made 51 runs from the first 10 overs and it took the introduction of spin in the shape of first Akhil Patel to put a brake on the scoring and then Samit Patel to take wickets.

The next 10 overs yielded a mere 28 runs and two vital wickets; both to Samit Patel who went on to take all Ticknall wickets to fall, finishing with 5-48 from his 12 overs.

It was vital that the Millers made a good start to their innings and openers Tom Brandrick and Kiegen Wing did just that and after 20 overs the Millers had reached 93-0.

Wing was out soon after for a well crafted 45 and after 25 overs the Millers were 127-1.

Brandrick went for 62, but then both Patels were out in the next two overs, Samit for 20 and Akhil unlucky to play on for 0.

That left the Millers on 138-4 with 22 overs left, still more than enough wickets and overs left to score the 122 runs needed.

Matt Heafield and Suman Shrestra added a further 37 runs, leaving the Millers to score 79 from the last 10 overs. But they lost two wickets in two balls in the 41st over and then the last three wickets in the 43rd over to a hat-trick with Shrestra stranded not out on 22