DUNSTALL responded to skipper Martin Clewley’s call for them to get back to winning ways — and condemned a weak Ilkeston Rutland side through the Derbyshire Premier League trapdoor in the process.
David Smit, the backbone of Ilkeston’s batting for so many years, again showed his class with a hard-hit 61 but, once Clewley got his man, the visitors collapsed from 104-2 to 131 all out — and all after they had won the toss.
Clewley led from the front by claiming 5-18 in 14 high-quality overs and enjoyed excellent support from vice-captain and fellow off-spinner John Jennings (4-24) at the other end.
Tom Mandleberg — on the back of two ducks but showing no sign of nerves — and James Benstead got the reply off to a flyer, sharing a 53-run partnership in quick time, and the 22 points were soon a formality.
Mandleberg cruised to 72 before falling to Smit’s part-time off-spin shortly before the end, but Matt Benstead (28no) again played sensibly to guide his side to victory with almost 30 overs still in the bank.
With teams around them in the table still to play in the final three games of the season, this result means Dunstall have a very real chance of finishing in the top half of the division — an impressive effort considering that this time last season they were fighting tooth and nail to retain their Premier League status.
Ilkeston captain Rob Green called correctly at the toss and had little option but to bat first with his side needing maximum- point hauls in each of their remaining games to stand any chance at all of pulling off a miraculous escape from relegation.
Craig Jennings thought he had Alex Park dead in front with the first ball of his spell, but a prolonged appeal from the bowler and close fielders was turned down by umpire Bob Morten.
It was the start of one of those days for the ex-Northamptonshire seamer, with Smit showing signs of his destructive mood with a couple of dismissive lofted drives down the ground.
At the other end, Kashif Raza bowled one of the spells his team-mates have come to expect — showing great control and passing the bat with frustrating regularity without any luck at all.
Once the shine had faded from the new cherry, Ilkeston made decent progress.
Smit and Park put on 87 for the first wicket, even if the latter did make for painful watching at times.
His misery was finally ended when Clewley lured him into a tame lofted off drive, with Raza accepting a simple catch at mid-off.
Luke Marriott became Clewley’s second victim four runs later as he turned one through his defences before claiming the prize wicket of Smit, who overbalanced trying to smash one into the car park and only succeeded in sending a leading edge to Craig Jennings at point.
Dunstall sensed blood and Ilkeston showed exactly why they are heading for the Derbyshire County League with an abject batting display.
Andrew Flindall — who earlier had almost run out Smit — manufactured his own downfall, calling skipper Green for a suicidal single.
He was rightly sent back, only for John Jennings to throw down the stumps and send him packing.
Green was next to go, with Clewley taking a smart low caught and bowled chance, before Jennings got in on the act.
An intelligent change of pace saw the ball slide through the defences of the scoreless Ian Banks and clip leg stump.
It was 108-6 at this point and the writing was on the wall for the visitors.
Adam Slater shuffled across his stumps to Jennings and fell lbw, while Danny Bobeszko suffered a similar fate.
Clewley completed a deserved fivewicket haul by bowling Lee Bradley and Jennings sent the Stags into tea in positive mood by having Grant Robertson caught and bowled.
Mandleberg enjoyed some good fortune in the very first over of the reply, with Slater spilling a chance at extra cover off left-armer Green, while James Benstead survived a first-ball lbw shout when he misjudged a delivery and padded one away against the same bowler.
However, the pair soon got into their stride, scoring runs all around the wicket as James Lockhart in particular took some punishment from Mandleberg on the front and back foot.
Ilkeston were flat by the time they found a breakthrough, and even that had a slice of good fortune.
Banks seamed one down the hill against James Benstead (20) and, though there were a few noises, the batsman stood in disbelief as umpire Morten raised the finger to send him back caught behind.
Mandleberg was joined by Matt Benstead and the pair showed a great understanding as they ran Ilkeston ragged with some sharp singles.
They had added 69 and were just 10 runs from victory when Mandleberg chipped Smit straight to Green at midwicket, but it had been another good knock from the aggressive and everimproving opener.
Ben Whitehouse was sent in at number four for his first-team bow, with the 14- year-old just four short of 1,000 club runs for the season.
He was left just one shy when he went for three, chipping Bobeszko to Smit at mid-on, before Matt Benstead hit the winning run.
