CHARLTON DOWN 222 (20pts) beat MARTINSTOWN II 79 (6pts) by 143 runs

CHARLTON Down took another step towards promotion from County Division Five by making it 11 wins from 12 outings this season.

The Charlton innings started badly when Jack Eveleigh was out leg before wicket for one to the spin of talented youngster John Stewart (1-67).

Nick Voss (15) followed when he was run out after a misunderstanding with Jae Miller.

But Miller (29) and Sam Roles added 54 runs in only six overs, pulling and driving regularly to the boundary before Jack Coombs (2-59) had Miller caught behind by impressive wicketkeeper Sean Williams.

With the score on 98-3, Roles and Luke Voss added a further 50 in only five overs to push the score to 147 off 20 overs.

Rob Blair claimed the dangerous Roles leg before for 45.

It was Martinstown captain Colin Crosswaite (4-20) that stemmed the flow of runs in a devastating five-over spell.

Charlton Down collapsed from 182-4 to 222 all out.

Voss, who batted patiently for his 38 as five team-mates perished, was the last man out.

The Martinstown batsmen found the Charlton Down bowling attack of Alex Campbell and Javed Gill difficult to play.

Some fine catching from Nick Voss and Eveleigh removed Crosswaite and then Tom Rimmer, leaving the hosts on 24-2.

James Reynolds and Sean Williams added 20 before the former was out leg before for 10 and Williams was bowled by Roles for 13.

The slow bowling duo of Roles (4-14) and Kim Park (2-11) struck at regular intervals.

Park had the experienced Grant Neven caught at short cover and then Stewart pushed a rising delivery to Campbell at short mid-off with the score on 51-6.

Charlie Durrant blasted a four to the mid-wicket boundary off Roles but the very next ball top-edged a ball to Rob Rutter at mid-on and Blair was then trapped leg before to leave the Martinstown innings in tatters on 60-8.

Will Maltby and Jack Coombs took the score to 73 before Roles took a good reaction catch at short mid-off.

Matt Venn produced another great display behind the stumps on a track with a lot of bounce but did suffer a finger injury in the last over.

It was left to Nick Voss to have Coombs caught by Roles to complete the victory in only the 27th over.

Charlton Down captain Pete Tucker said: "It was great to see so many young cricketers playing for both clubs and we hope that in a couple of years we can follow their lead and start bringing through the next crop for Charlton Down.”