RETFORD climbed off the bottom of the Championship with an emphatic victory away at Notts and Arnold Amateur.

The eight-wicket victory was in no small part due to the bowling of Iain Bates, who took four wickets for just 30 runs as the hosts were bowled out for 131.

Pascal Broadley top scored for Retford with 70, while Chandra Kumara supported well with 30 in the visitors' winning total of 136, for the loss of two wickets.

The win gave Retford 20 points, while Notts and Arnold Amateur came away empty handed.

Bridon 200 all out
Kiveton Park 181 for 9

BRIDON lie just one place above Retford, in eighth position in the Championship, after a winning draw with Kiveton Park.

A good all-round display, with a classy 85 from Wayne Spooner led to the side remaining in touch with the league leaders.

At Ordsall on Saturday the first team batted first on a wicket still damp.

With the total on 21, skipper Roger Wells fell to a catch by James Bullivant off Richard Spurr.

Rob McLeod and Spooner took the total to 81 in the 19th over before the former fell to Chris Storey.

Aaron Haycock fell cheaply to Lee Brooks but Tim Muir gave support to Spooner in a fine fourth wicket partnership yielding 62 invaluable runs.

Spooner became the second victim for Brooks after a superb 85.

The middle order failed to contribute and the score slipped to 161 for the loss of seven wickets.

However, an invaluable stand of 34 between Simon Davison and Stuart Goodall took the home side towards the 200 total.

Davison was eventually bowled by James Hubell for 19 whilst Goodall became Brooks' fourth victim for 15.

With Colin Hurst being run out in the final over the Bridon side totalled a very competitive 200.

The Kiveton reply began with Ian Hampshire and Richard Grainger. The pair took the score to 13 before Hampshire was bowled by Davison.

Matt Cartwright and Grainger took the total steadily to 63 before Muir had the latter well caught by the keeper Nigel Turner for 41.

The Australian Ed Brown fell cheaply to an athletic catch by Wells off Muir with the total on 71 but a fourth wicket stand of 56 between Cartwright and Tim Ward boosted Kiveton.

The introduction of Stuart Goodall certainly paid off as he produced the required accuracy to support Muir. Goodall bowled Cartwright for 28 with the total on 127 and 22 runs later Ward was run out for 32.

Muir and Goodall chipped away at the lower order to such an extent that when the latter bowled Richard Spurr, the last wicket pair of Brooks and Storey were left to negotiate the final three deliveries to gain a losing draw.

Bridon's 18 point haul owed a great deal to Spoone's 85 and a fine bowling display led by Colin Hurst.