Burghley Park Cricket Club beat Scunthorpe in the Lincolnshire Premier League
Burghley Park's impressive start to the Lincolnshire Premier League campaign reached new heights when they beat reigning champions Scunthorpe Town on Saturday.
The newly-promoted Bears secured a 29-run win to make it five victories from their opening six games and inflict a first defeat of the season on their hosts.
It was another superb bowling and fielding display from Burghley to defend a slightly under-par total which sent Scunthorpe to just the second loss in two seasons at their Heslam Park ground.
Having lost the toss, Park were invited to bat on a wicket that had been caught out by some rain on Friday and was likely going to be tough to score freely on in the early exchanges.
That proved the case as James Laud and Ryan Gilmour set about the challenge.
Both men were struggling to find timing before Gilmour was beaten by George Drewery for just six.
Josh Weller (11) joined Laud (eight) and was able to find the boundary on a couple of occasions but Drewery was able to remove both men in quick succession.
When Sam Potter was trapped leg before by Ben Crew, Park then found themselves 43-4.
Youngsters Olly Billington and Oscar Jackson were then able to shift the momentum slightly back towards the visiting team.
Billington was compact and composed, stroking the ball into gaps with relative ease.
They had moved their partnership to 41 before Jackson was superbly run out by Savraj Nijjar for 18 with a direct hit from backward point.
Gareth Hook was only able to add seven before Kranjit Bansal found a way through his defences leaving Park 97-6.
Burghley have found themselves in a very similar position most weeks this season with the batting line-up yet to fully fire but their lower order were again able to add crucial runs to get them to a defendable total.
Skipper Alex Ashwin and Billington added 44 to the score, with the latter going past his half century in the process.
Ashwin was then bowled by Callum Mann for 12 and the same bowler also saw off Chris Logan.
Stuart Biggs joined Billington and what followed turned out to be a match-defining partnership.
Biggs unfurled some of his trademark lofted cover drives while Billington continued to hit gaps and rotate the strike well.
The pair ultimately batted for nearly 12 overs, adding an unbeaten 64 for the ninth wicket, which was finished with an outlandish reverse ramp for four over short third man by Biggs and somehow Burghley had posted 207-8.
Billington was outstanding for an unbeaten 88 from 140 balls with Biggs finishing with 30 not out from 38 balls.
Ashwin and Logan then set about the task of defending the total and it was the latter who was able to make the early inroads.
He bowled Nijjar for six as both men were bowling with excellent control, beating the bat with regularity and keeping the scoring rate well under control.
Hook and Potter joined the attack and it was Burghley's spinner who next found success.
He bowled Ian Snowden for 21 and later removed Daniel Crew leg before for 16.
Potter was bowling with good pace from the other end, despite running into the increasingly stiff headwind, and was unfortunate to go wicketless in his five over spell of 0-24.
Weller was then thrust into the attack and was immediately in the wickets again.
Karanjit Bansal was only able to pick out Jackson on the square leg boundary after Weller had deceived the home captain with the deadly half tracker.
Tom Giles then offered a simple catch to Ashwin at cover from the same man before a mix up saw Potter comfortably run out Callum Mann and Burghley sensed a massive opening.
Scunthorpe were 94-6 but, with the prolific Indian professional Priyanshu Khanduri at the crease, the hosts were always in with a chance.
He and Harry Doyle were able to steady the ship and started to wrestle the momentum back.
Khanduri went past his second half century of the league campaign, to go along with his three centuries.
The partnership also moved beyond 50 with Khanduri looking more and more dangerous before Burghley captain Ashwin got the prize wicket.
He found the edge of Khanduri's bat and Billington completed the simplest of catches behind the stumps and the dangerman had to go for 65.
Scunthorpe were now 151-7 and still needing 57 for victory.
Sensing an opportunity to go for the kill, and after having completed his 10 overs of 1-27, Ashwin then turned to Logan to do what he has done so often and clean up the tail.
The impact was almost instant as Doyle was trapped leg before by the Kiwi for 26 before Mohammed Azhar was also in on the act, pinning Ben Crew leg before and Burghley were one wicket away from a memorable win.
Logan then completed the job, bowling Drewery for 17, as the New Zealander finished with 3-19 from 8.1 overs, Hook with 2-46, Weller 2-30 and Azhar 1-27.
The victory keeps Burghley in third spot in the table, just one point behind Scunthorpe in second, and looking ahead to Market Deeping visiting the Park this weekend.
