Promotion-chasing Clowne Town too strong for Codnor CC

Codnor skipper Ben Wood won the toss and asked the visitors to take first knock on what looked like a bowler friendly wicket.

And so it proved in the opening stages as Bonsall and Leo proved difficult to get away.

Lodge was first to go, LBW, to give Bonsall his only wicket of the day, in what was otherwise a superb spell with only 17 runs coming off his 14 overs.

Leo and Melbourne were unable to make inroads into the Clowne batting order,

And the batsman started to get into their stride as they got more used to how the wicket was playing.

Womble and Kinsey were the most notable contributors for the away side as they made 55 and 53 respectively, with Glynn Long providing a useful 34 as Clowne looked to push the score on at the end.

The away side finished up on 206-6, with Bonsall and Colledge getting a wicket each along with Ben Wood and the returning Darron Brown getting a couple each.

The Codnor reply didn’t begin well as opener Vincent was bowled for 3, and wickets fell at regular intervals after that with no two batsman really putting together any sort of partnership together.

Colson was the only contributor of note in the top order as he made 23.

The lower order put up slightly more of a fight as Mills and Melbourne decided to have a bit of fun, with a number of guided edges finding the third man boundary.

Mills was bowled on 27, and Melbourne finished up with 19*. But by that time the game was all but over.

Long was the pick of the bowlers for Clowne with 5-28, and Walker also got a mention with 3-33.

The first team travel to fellow strugglers Duffield at the weekend, with a good result required to stay out of the Division 4N relegation zone.