CIRENCESTER seconds continued their recent rise towards mid-table safety in Division 4 of the Readers County League with an ultimately convincing 51-run victory over Cheltenham Allsorts in The Park on Saturday.

Readers Glos CCL Div Four

Cirencester II 182-8

Cheltenham III 131 all out

Put in to bat in ideal conditions, the Town flourished from the start with Jimmy Woodcock and Toby Bond posting a half-century opening stand inside 12 overs before Bond gave a simple return catch to Hobbs for 21.

Woodcock and Jamie Jamieson-Black then added 79 for the second wicket and at 130-1 after just 27 overs the Town looked set for a commanding total.

Woodcock then popped up a simple catch on 47 and two more wickets fell quickly as Jamieson-Black went bowled for 39 and Rob Lamble followed first ball caught behind.

Dominic Jeffcott hit a useful 21 in the closing overs, but the Town middle order crumbled to the spin of Alex James who finished with 4-27 as the innings closed on a disappointing 182-8.

Cheltenham slumped to 5-2 as Jake Holmes and John Turner picked up early wickets with some accurate medium pace after tea and although Waters and Nicholls shared a useful stand of 40 for the third wicket the visitors were already falling behind the run rate when Turner had Waters caught at long on for 24 in the 18th over.

The visitors fared little better against the Town spinners, with Dick Tugwell taking two middle-order wickets and brothers Jono and Jamie-Jamieson-Black one each before Bram Coleman came on to clean out the tail with the last three wickets in just 10 balls as Cheltenham were dismissed for 131 in the 40th over.