Godmanchester captain Matt Pateman insists the Tucker Gardner League Division One title race is far from over despite his side sampling success in the biggest game of the season so far.
Town swept into top spot and extended their unbeaten 2015 run to 15 games by snatching a two-wicket triumph at previous leaders Wisbech on Saturday with three balls to spare.
But Pateman is well aware his men are only seven points clear of their title rivals with seven games remaining.
He admitted: “It is a good position to be in and I’m very proud of the lads, but we only have a small lead and, with the scoring system in this league, things can change quickly.
“We’re not getting carried away and we have to continue to take things one game at a time.”
Pateman felt his side delivered their best fielding display of the summer to restrict Wisbech to 217-7 thanks to some tight bowling. Recently returned Kiran Adhav was the pick of the Godmanchester bunch with 2-34 from 12 overs.
They were in trouble at 7-2 early in their reply after Pateman had departed for a duck, but Byron Ovenstone proved to be the mainstay of a march to victory.
He hit 84 and there was a useful 38 from Adam Cousins before Adhav and Paul Jefferson finished the job.
Pateman added: “We put everything into restricting Wisbech into as small a total as possible and Byron produced a brilliant innings of composure, class and counter-attacking intent after we had found ourselves in a bit of trouble.
“It was still touch and go when him and Adam were dismissed, but Kiran and Paul saw us home calmly.
“It highlights that winning has become a habit as we would have lost that game a couple of season ago.
“We need consistent performances from now until the end of the season and there are a few of us who are due a score of two – myself included.”
The picture is considerably clearer in Tucker Gardner League Division Two with Eaton Socon now 48 points clear at the summit following a top-of-the-table triumph of their own on Saturday.
Terry Day’s men were helped to an 84-run victory over Huntingdon & District by the customary stellar showing from Jonny Carpenter.
The opening batsman top-scored with 63 as the leaders made 176-7 before he was one of three players to take three wickets (Matthew Taylor and Ben Gowling the others) as the visitors were skittled for just 92.
The best bowling performance of all came from Huntingdon man Nomi Khan who bagged 5-37.
Their defeat allowed St Ives to nip back into second spot courtesy of a four-wicket triumph over Weston Colville.
Overseas ace Benji Thomas followed up three wickets with a half century as the locals boosted their promotion hopes.
Shaun Asplin also impressed with the ball, taking 4-35, and Kevin Sequenza claimed a couple of victims.
TUCKER GARDNER LEAGUE
Division One
MARCH drew with WARESLEY
March 156 (Z. Ringrose 4-30, R. Craze 4-31).
Waresley 146-8 (R. Craze 30).
WISBECH lost to GODMANCHESTER by 2 wkts
Wisbech 217-7.
Godmanchester 218-8 (B. Ovenstone 84, A. Cousins 38).
Division Two
BLUNHAM beat KIMBOLTON by 73 runs
Blunham 255-5.
Kimbolton 182.
EATON SOCON beat HUNTINGDON & DISTRICT by 84 runs
Eaton Socon 176-7 (J. Carpenter 63, T. Banks 36, N. Khan 5-37).
Huntingdon & District 92 (M. Taylor 3-13, J. Carpenter 3-25, B. Gowling 3-33).
ST IVES beat WESTON COLVILLE by 4 wkts
Weston Colville 115 (B. Thomas 3-20, S. Asplin 4-35).
St Ives 119-6 (B. Thomas 54).
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