Kibworth land remarkable treble
Tue 15 Sep 2015
Kibworth completed a famous treble as they won the Premier League and Everards League Cup to go alongside their County Cup success.
The third piece of silverware was secured at Loughborough Town on Sunday in a match that was dominated by two batsmen.
Wicket-keeper Charlie Lowen, who has played for Leicestershire Second XI in the past, scored 94 not out as Loughborough were bowled out for 179 with two balls of their 40 overs remaining.
Skipper Matt Craven guided Kibworth to a seven-wicket triumph with an unbeaten century, his side winning with 16 balls to spare.
Kibworth went into the last round of league matches requiring five points to secure the league title and managed a maximum 30-point haul against Sileby Town, who finished in third.
Jigar Naik took 2-38 from his ten overs but Josh Peel’s 59 helped Kibworth put 188-9 on the board after they had slipped to 47-4. Opening bowlers Matt Bashford (5-23) and Luke Evans (4-15) then wreaked havoc as Sileby were bowled out for 66.
Lutterworth were Kibworth’s closest rivals throughout the season and they maintained their side of the bargain with a 30-point win against Loughborough Town.
Lewis Hill (55), Ollie Pickering (54) and Matt Pickering (43) were all in good form as Lutterworth posted 270-8 and Nathan Welham took 3-37 as Loughborough were dismissed for 155, but there was to be no slip-up from Kibworth.
That result meant that Loughborough finished 34 points adrift of fourth placed Barrow Town, who ended their fine campaign with a 25-point haul at Kegworth Town.
Hinckley Town/CCA ended in sixth despite suffering defeat at Leicester Ivanhoe. The home side have been involved in a lot of close games this season and this encounter also didn’t disappoint.
Ivanhoe made 242-4 as Leicestershire Academy players Sam Evans and Alex Kent scored 62 and 46 respectively while Steve Punchard made 64 not out and Eben Kurtz chipped in with 35.
Atif Sheikh took a wicket before scoring 20 not out for Hinckley Town/CCA but those runs weren’t quite enough as Ivanhoe secured a two-run victory.
Academy player George Corbett claimed 4-28 but Market Harborough edged past Syston’s score of 221-3 for the loss of eight wickets. Academy player Joe Kendall scored 42, Zak Chappell made 18 while Kevin Innes guided the side home with 47 not out.
Charles Dagnall shone with bat and ball as Rothley Park posted the score of the day against Thorpe Arnold. The former Leicestershire player scored 85 as Rothley made 307 and then took 4-25 as Rothley wrapped up a comprehensive 202-run success.
