WITH the race for league honours really hotting up, St George’s, bidding to defend their Division One title, have taken the outright lead in the competition’s top tier.
Before retaining their Knockout Cup crown, Saints saw off bottom side Charlton Down by six wickets to make first place their own.
They were able to do that because Cattistock, who had been locked on eight points with Saints at the summit, were suffering a six-wicket defeat to Bere Regis on the same night.
Jon Legg blasted 57 in a Cattistock total of 129-7 before Dave Griffiths smashed 47 not out in Bere Regis’ 130-4.
As for Saints, their routine win at home to Charlton Down was aided by a knock of 31 from Andy Legg.
The best individual innings of the past week came from Dew-lish’s Dan Belt with 81 in his team’s 208-5 against Martinstown – Dewlish are third in the table following their 63-run success.
Snookes Pirates look odds-on to win Division Two and they cemented their position at the top with an emphatic nine-wicket rout of Hazelbury Bryan.
Two struggling sides, Plush and Abbotsbury, claimed much-needed victories over Cerne Vall-ey and Frampton respectively.
Simon Mitchem hit an unbeaten 62 in Abbotsbury’s superb 10-wicket triumph.
In Division Three, Puddletown Reserves and Charlton Down Seconds are doing all they can to put pressure on the top two.
They are both on 10 points, four behind second-placed Cattistock Seconds, following wins in the latest round of fixtures.
However, Charlton Down’s actually came at the expense of the reserves, with Jack Eveleigh taking 3-22 in the latter’s total of 93-9.
Simon Dunford hit 47 in reply as the visitors won by seven wickets.
There was some solace for the reserves after that as they boun-ced back to ease past Winfrith.
An 80-run win was largely down to Steve Chaldecott’s marvellous innings of 79 in a score of 198-6.
Division One: Bere Regis 130-4 (Dave Griffiths 47no, Martin Oliver 2-9) beat Cattistock 129-7 (Jon Legg 57, Dave Griffiths 2-9), St George’s 92-4 (Andy Legg 31, Will Silk 2-17) beat Charlton Down 91-7 (Alex Campbell 21, Rich Cole 2-16), Dewlish 208-5 (Dan Belt 81, Liam Banfield 3-42) beat Martinstown 145-3 (Jack James 57, Justin Miller 1-21).
Division Two: Plush 84-2 (Neil Kellaway 29, Pearce Mercer 1-15) beat Cerne Valley 83 (S Hall 24, Owen Chubb 3-10), Snookes Pirates 116-1 (M Irrgang 56no, Dave Cleave 1-15) beat Hazelbury Bryan 115-8 (Matt Perrett 40no, H Tucker 2-11), Abbotsbury 135-0 (Simon Mitchem 62no, James Pretty 0-11) beat Frampton 132-5 (J Hurford 64, W Philpott 1-11).
Division Three: Winfrith 138-3 (Simon Walsh 64, J Foot 2-30) beat Puddletown RFC 82 (J Green 26, Alex White 3-13), Charlton Down 2nds 96-3 (Simon Dunford 47, Matt Barrett 2-12) beat Puddletown Reserves 93-9 (Matt Barrett 19, Jack Eveleigh 3-22), Puddletown Reserves 198-6 (Steve Chaldecott 79, S Green 2-29) beat Winfrith 108-6 (L Creedon 51no, A Fairman 1-10).
Fixtures – Tonight, Division One: St George’s v Martinstown, Bere Regis v Cattistock
Division Two: Abbotsbury v Cerne Valley
Tomorrow, Division Two: Hazelbury Bryan v Plush, Frampton v Snookes Pirates
Division Three: Charlton Down 2nds v Casuals, Puddletown Reserves v Puddletown RFC
Tuesday, Division One: Charlton Down v Martinstown, Cattistock v St George’s
Division Three: Cosmos v Puddletown RFC
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