The Thames Valley Cricket League saw another weekend of exciting action for local sides, as Sulhamstead & Ufton led the way, facing Cove in Division 2B.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, it was opener Chris Mercer who set the tone with a patient 47 from 111 deliveries.
Few would be able to join him, with only tail-ender Doug MacDonald reaching more than twenty with his handy contribution.
That would round off the innings, as the home side were bowled all out for 169 with just five balls left to face.
Tasked with bowling Cove out, it was a shaky start for the bowlers as the two Cove openers made a damaging 79 to kick off the innings.
Those who followed them would enjoy less fortune, with a series of middle order batsmen falling for single figures.
Finn Mercer’s contribution was most noteworthy, taking a five-fer to punish the remaining batsmen and secure a 40 run victory.
Division 3A saw a clash between two local clubs as Thatcham Town visited Purley on Thames.
It was Thatcham who would win the toss and choose to bat, with Jack Young arriving at third to make 68 from 87 runs in a key contribution.
In response, Purley suffered a collapse, with no player scoring more than fourteen runs.
Mike Green took four wickets for Thatcham, whilst Stephen Bartholomew and Arun Madhasaravanan joined him with two wickets each.
Purley found themselves all out for just 78, leaving Thatcham the winners by a sizeable 117 runs.
Elsewhere in the division, Theale & Tilehurst soared to a similarly giant win against Bagshot.
Batting first, the Theale innings was led by Muhammad Ayub, who made a hard-hitting 93 from 112 balls including eight fours and four sixes.
Bowled out for 230, the bowlers looked to restrict the Bagshot batsmen and found success.
The home side were left all out for only 92, with Robert Dimmack’s four wickets securing a 138 run victory.
For Newbury in Division 4A, it was a second win of the season as they dispatched Cove 2nd.
Batting first, it was opener Simon Digweed who ultimately put in a game changing performance, scoring a stunning 103 featuring twelve fours and three sixes.
Rohit Sengupta’s 61 was also noteworthy, as Newbury completed their 45 overs with a huge 245 on the board.
There was a theme emerging, as Cove opener Douglas Bewley hit 93 from the off, but the rest of the innings couldn’t follow his lead.
Thomas Kingston’s three wicket haul helped Newbury on their way, restricting the home side to 210 to win by 35 runs.
