Bank House Glos CCL Div One

Cirencester 150 all out

Kingsholm 89 all out

LEAGUE leaders Cirencester successfully came through their biggest weekend of the season so far when seeing off second-placed Kingsholm at The Park.

With heavy rain during the week leading up to the game it was always destined to be a slow pitch that would prove difficult for the batters.

On winning the toss it was no surprise that the Kingsholm skipper James Boon asked Cirencester to bat first.

The opening pairing of Jamie Jamieson-Black and Will Mason had a steady start reaching 25 before Jamieson-Black (11) was undone by a ball that nipped back sharply and clipped his off stump.

Mason followed shortly after for 17, tickling the ball down the leg side to the keeper Boon, the second time in three innings that he has been out in this manner.

When skipper Gareth Williams was adjudged lbw for 17 and the experienced Paul Godding was yorked for three, Cirencester were left teetering on 56-4.

A fine 56-run partnership followed between George Key (39) and Andy Reynolds (27) that helped steady the ship and a tail wag led by Simon Rowe (12) enabled Cirencester to reach a fair total of exactly 150 all out.

With Cirencester hampered by the loss of strike bowler Ross Jeffels to a hamstring strain, the Kingsholm response got off to a flying start with opener Sean Uthup muscling eight runs from each of the first couple of overs.

Thereafter the pace dropped significantly and by the end of the 10th over, when the first wicket fell, Kingsholm had added only a further 13 runs.

By this time Tom Fullalove (five overs, 2-12) and Mason (nine overs, 3-20) were controlling proceedings and in a 10-over combined spell they reduced the visitors to 51-5 by the end of the 20th over.

John Veits (15) and Matt Cayless (15) put together a spirited stand of 24 which was broken when Veits lofted Williams to deep mid-wicket where he was excellently claimed by Jamieson-Black. This wicket precipitated the final collapse as the Kingsholm innings faltered to a final score of 89 all out in 35 overs.

A great win for Cirencester and with other results also going their way they have now managed to move 17 points clear of their nearest rival.

However, another stern test awaits this weekend when they travel to Apperley.