STURMINSTER & HINTON 186 (7pts) lost to ABBOTSBURY 340-5 (20pts) by 154 runs.

A SUPERB display of batting by Abbotsbury’s Adam Davies set up the Swans for a big win over Sturminster & Hinton in County Division Four.

Abbotsbury were asked to bat first by home skipper Garry Horne, a decision possibly regretted as Adam Davies and Simon Pengelly racked up an opening partnership of 165 inside 20 overs.

Davies was playing his first match of the season for the Swans and Sturminster were to rue a failed catch attempt at mid-off early in his innings as the bowling attack was unable to contain the flow of runs.

Pengelly (58) also played his part with some excellent shots in compiling his first half century of the season before a leading edge was pouched by bowler Cornell (1-28) but Davies continued to pepper the boundary with an array of attacking shots in partnership with Nick Kneebone.

Sturminster tried eight different bowlers in their quest for another breakthrough and it was James Green (2-58) who finally succeeded as a catch was taken in the deep to remove Davies for a brilliant 165 off 94 balls.

Chris Backhouse (3) swiftly followed and Kynan Brian (9) hit a couple of nice boundaries before being dismissed by Horne (1-48), while Kneebone holed out for 43.

David Worsdell (16no) and Ashley Harrow (17no) kept up the brisk scoring rate in the final overs as the Swans set a mammoth target of 341.

In reply, Andrew Beale (4) dispatched the first delivery to the boundary but edged spinner Krishnan Subramanian (2-24) to slip next ball, the latter also accounting for Steve Moore (9).

Skipper Simon Pengelly soon brought his off spin into the attack and had immediate success with a wicket in each of his first two overs and finishing with figures of 4-34.

Sturminster opener AJ Rose was batting well but had to leave the field with a calf injury while Abbotsbury seamer Grafton Straker took three lower order wickets to put the Swans on the verge of victory.

However, Rose (61no) was able to return to the crease and together with Garry Horne (41) frustrated the away side with a 10th-wicket partnership of 61 before Pete Bustin (1-14) came back on to bowl and finally remove Horne with a return catch as Abbotsbury secured a huge victory.

Ex-leaders Sturminster & Hinton drop to second behind Abbotsbury’s next opponents Wareham, with the Swans lying just five points further behind in third.