FAIRFORD travelled to Birdlip for a mid-table encounter, with both sides hoping for a win that would ease fears of relegation.

After losing the toss, Fairford were unsurprisingly asked to bat. The makeshift opening pair of Tom Dutton and Chris Hart made cautious, if steady, progress against some tight bowling from George James and Daniel Knock, both of whom completed their nine overs in a single spell.

Hart fell for 23 in Knock's penultimate over with Lee Clark joining Dutton to continue the quiet accumulation of runs, the pair taking Fairford to 69 before Dutton was adjudged lbw on the stroke of drinks off the bowling of Chetan Ubale for a well made 35.

Sebastian Jordan showed promise, caressing one beautiful off-drive for 4 but didn't last long, undone by a straight ball from Ubale.

His wicket brought Derek Townsend to the crease and as usual, action was not far away.

The run rate soon increased with an array of shots to all areas, causing Birdlip skipper Prakash to employ some unorthodox field placements including a long stop to protect the boundary from Townsend's delicate inside edges past, and even through, the despairing Nitin Shetty behind the stumps.

The pair added 43 in quick time before Clark gave a simple catch and with Colin Denness being bowled by Kent Partridge soon after, Townsend began to wonder who might hang around with him.

Enter Michael Bowman, promoted from the 2nd XI after a run of good form, who, despite always keeping the bowlers interested, managed to keep Townsend company as the latter passed 50 once again.

With four overs to go, five wickets in hand and 170 on the board, Fairford eyed 200 and maximum bonus points.

14 balls, five wickets and only the one run later they had to settle for taking tea at 171 all out, Ubale finishing with four for 29 from eight overs and Prakash three for 8 from three.

Seeking to exploit the low and slow nature of the pitch, Fairford captain Kevin Smart took the unusual option of opening with spin from both ends.

Shetty opened up in typically aggressive fashion, taking advantage of attacking fields to loft Smart for a couple of early boundaries.

Prakash looked to follow suit at the other end but only managed to hit a simple return catch to Harvey New.

In his next over 16 year old New, in his first full season in the 1st XI and now the leading wicket taker, managed to completely bamboozle Andy Downes, who had scored a hard-hitting 78 in the earlier fixture between the two sides, bowling him for the second duck of the innings.

An early change brought Jordan into the attack and Fairford's new recruit, fresh from running through Witcombe's top-order last week, soon had the Birdlip batsmen in trouble.

His first victim, the prolific Shetty, looked at the wicket in disbelief as his off stump cartwheeled out of the ground.

Daniel Gadsden followed next, also clean bowled. Partridge offered brief resistance before being well caught at gully by Chairman Guy Bailey before Ubale too lost his off stump.

Meanwhile at the other end, bowling uphill and into the wind, New whirled away, with even the occasional full toss being patted back with the suspicion of being a hand grenade, as he compiled the very respectable figures of nine overs, five maidens, two for 12.

Jordan steamed in, looking for his fifth victim, finally snaring James right in front of the stumps with the final ball of his ninth over to secure match-winnings figures of five for 32.

Bailey soon cleaned up the tail to leave Birdlip 94 all out and Fairford winners by 77 runs.