Readers Glos CCL Div Four

Ruardean Hill 174-6

Cirencester II 175-5

CIRENCESTER seconds claimed their first win of the league campaign on their second trip to the Forest of Dean when they accounted for hosts Ruardean Hill by five wickets on Saturday.

Put in to bat, Ruardean struggled from the start against Town seamers John Turner and Jake Holmes who sent down six maidens in the first nine overs on a sound batting surface.

Holmes had Middlecote well caught down the leg side by Alex Binnie with the total on 12 and followed up by clean bowling fellow opener Cross to leave the home side struggling at 19-2.

He then gave way to the spin of Dick Tugwell who quickly bowled Underwood and had Paul Weaving caught at gully by Turner to leave Ruardean floundering on 45-4 after 22 overs. Turner’s nine-over spell conceded just 14 runs.

Harris and Dave Weaving then ground out a stand of 31 but when Tugwell took a slip catch off Alex Keane, Ruardean had amassed just 76-5 in the 32nd over and looked unlikely to set a daunting target until the Town were denied by a dogged stand of 62.

Holmes returned to take another wicket and finish with 3-28, but with Dave Weaving staying unbeaten on 57, Ruardean recovered to a respectable total of 174-6.

When the Town replied, Toby Bond hit a couple of boundaries before being trapped leg before, but then Andy Cooper and George Thrussell began to find the boundary at will, sharing a stand of exactly 100 in 15 overs before Cooper was caught in the deep for 59 having hit two sixes and six fours.

Thrussell quickly followed for a useful 30 and when Binnie became a third lbw victim Ruardean were back in the hunt, even more so when skipper Jim Woodcock was also leg before for 22 with the score at 147-5.

Cirencester had plenty of overs in hand, however, and 15-year old Tom Rutter stood firm with support from Tugwell until, with seven required, the latter was forced to retire hurt after edging a delivery into his face.

Rutter then stayed calm to strike the winning boundary with five overs remaining.