AT the bottom of the table, Sleaford look to have made themselves safe from relegation after a narrow victory over 11th placed Caistor at London Road.

Batting first, Caistor made 196 for eight, Marc Watkins hitting 61 and Warren Nel taking five wickets.

Nel then hit 79 as Sleaford finished on 198 for eight .

Mark Fell smashed the league record for the most runs scored in a season when he hit his fifth century this year in Bracebridge Heath’s winning draw over Grimsby.

Fell’s total now stands at 1,100 - 15 more than the 2003 total set by Indian player Dodda Ganesh, then playing for Owmby. And with three matches still to go, Fell is likely to set a target that could stand for an equal number of years.

The Bracebridge skipper’s century helped the leaders to 293 for six, Vikram Atri hitting 77, but Grimsby put in one of their best performances of the season to finish their 50 overs on 246 for nine and claim 10 points, Michael Brown playing an excellent innings of 77 after earlier taking four of the home side’s wickets.

Jack Luffman went one run better than Fell to record the day’s highest score of 103 as second placed Woodhall Spa picked up 20 points against bottom team Haxey. Steve Scott contributed 92 and Conrad Louth 74 as Woodhall reached 354 for five. Dan Milgate then took five for 25 as Haxey were bowled out for 120.

One of the best games of the day was at Market Deeping where Bourne came out on top in a drawn match. The visitors finished their overs on 253 for nine, Will Clough making 57 and on 170 for one off 33 overs, Deeping looked set for victory.

But when Jonathan Wright was dismissed for 80 and Charlie Hopkins returned to the attack to take four wickets, Deeping collapsed to 191 for seven and had to settle for a losing draw, ending on 235 for seven, John McDougall making 51.

Lindum picked up 20 points after Karanjit Bansal took five wickets and Matt Rutherford four to bowl Messingham out for 146. Bansal then hit 59 and Josh Brodie an unbeaten 52 as Lindum swept to a nine wicket win.

But the Lincoln side’s progress into the top half of the table was blocked by Louth who also picked up 20 after bowling Nettleham out for 123 at Mulsanne Park, Nuwan Shiroman taking five wickets. The visitors then went on to win by seven wickets.



Results

Messingham 146 (Bansal 5-51), Lindum 147-1 (Bansal 59, Brodie 52no);

Nettleham 123 (Shiroman 5-29), Louth 126-3;

Caistor 196-8 (Watkins 61, Nel 5-58), Sleaford 198-8 (Nel 79);

Bourne 253-9 (Clough 57), Market Deeping 235-7 (Wright 80, McDougall 51);

Woodhall Spa 354-5 (Luffman 103, Scott 92, Louth 74), Haxey 120 (Milgate 5-25);

Bracebridge Heath 293-6 (Fell 102, Atri 77), Grimsby 246-9 (Brown 77);