CRICKET: Lechlade's title prospects dented (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Lechlade suffer comprehensive defeat at Burbage & Easton Royal

12:19pm Tuesday 7th August 2012 in Sport

West Of England Premier (Wilts Division).

Burbage & Easton Royal 225-7. Lechlade 99 all out .

LECHLADE were outplayed and comfortably beaten on Saturday by title rivals Burbage & Easton Royal at the Red Lion Park.

The result leaves Lechlade 21 points behind league leaders Great Bedwyn but still in second place in the table.

Burbage & Easton Royal won the toss and decided to bat first.

The Lechlade bowling attack without Luke Sellers and Anthony Pettifer failed to get on top of the Burbage & Easton Royal batting line-up and despite Paul Godding’s early success in getting David Cope out in the seventh over, B & ER made steady progress.

All of the home batsmen contributed to the total of 225, while Lechlade dropped five catches.

Godding was the pick of the Lechlade bowlers with 2-24 off his 10 overs.

Lechlade, in reply, never got to grips with the target set and were quickly in trouble when Adrian Stenner was out in the third over for one.

Stenner had been hit in the hand a couple of balls before his dismissal and X-rays later on Saturday night showed he had suffered a broken thumb.

Arran Dickinson briefly took the initiative and for a fleeting period Lechlade looked to have overcome Stenner’s dismissal.

However, when Burdock was bowled by Panta for six, a Lechlade batting collapse followed with the wickets of Dickinson, Godding and Adam Clatworthy falling in the space of 24 balls for just three runs. With the score at 35-5 in the 11th over and with the Lechlade batting order being somewhat depleted without Ali Killham, Paul Loxton and Sellers, Lechlade’s slim remaining hopes for a comeback were extinguished when Ross Jeffels was dismissed for 34 in the 26th over. Lechlade then limped to 99 all out in 30 overs.

Lechlade captain Godding said: “It was a very disappointing result for us but we can have no complaints as Burbage & Easton Royal batted, bowled and fielded much better than us and the best team won on the day.”

“The result has very much left Great Bedwyn in the driving seat for the title but we don’t intend to give up on it just yet.” Lechlade retain a slim chance of winning the title as they still have to play Great Bedwyn before the end of the season.