WAREHAM 327-4 (20pts) beat BRIDPORT 161 (6pts) by 166 runs

HOSTS Wareham proved they are a class apart from the rest in Division Four with a resounding 166-run thumping of second-placed Bridport.

Partnerships of 133 for the first wicket and 120 for the fourth saw Wareham build a massive total of 327-4 with an unbeaten 106 from the bat of Charlie Parsons.

Bridport tried their best in reply with several batsmen getting starts but they were always fighting a losing battle and they lost wickets at regular intervals.

“We bowled first and let them get off to a flyer,” said Bridport captain Liam Toohill. “A couple of chances failed to go to hand. “Steve Bishop flashed the second ball of the innings to gully but it went so fast our man couldn’t get his hands up in time and he also edged between keeper and slip in the fourth over.

“First change bowlers Rod Gay and Paul Stoneley did well to slow the game down and keep the batsman in check.

“Mark Smith came on after drinks and immediately struck with two wickets in his first two overs to remove both openers and leave them 146-2.

“Mark managed to pick up another wicket in his fourth over to peg the opposition back, however, this is where a 120-run partnership started.

“We had several chances to get century-maker Parsons out but these we either dropped or fell just out of reach. Rod persevered and picked up the fourth wicket to give us another bowling point.”

He added: “We had a lot of batting in our XI so we shuffled it around to get off to a flyer with the plan of trying to secure full batting points if it did not go our way.

“We lost Mark early but Duane Gay and Toby Hall put on a rapid 47 for the second wicket before Duane fell.

“Cerne Iveson was promoted up the order and continued where Duane left off. He wasn’t fazed by their fast bowlers and just went about his business smashing the ball to all parts in a very impressive 22.

“We were actually scoring at a better rate than them for the first 17 overs, however, we continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.

“It was down to Rod to marshal the tail and try to get us to 170 but, unfortunately, we fell just short of maximum batting points.

“We always knew this was going to be a tough game, especially without leading wicket-taker Alex Lee, although there are some positives to take from the game.

“The way Duane, Toby and Cerne batted at the top of the order was superb.”