REIGNING league champions and cup holders St George’s made a successful start to the defence of both trophies with victories in their first two games of the season.

The Dorchester Rec side began their 2015 campaign by seeing off Winfrith in the Knockout Cup as Rob Cole took 3-7 and scored 27 runs in a comfortable win.

Cole and his team-mates then got their Division One fixtures underway with a 76-run defeat of Charlton Down, who were also beaten by Cattistock.

Meanwhile, also going through to the quarter-finals of the cup are Cerne Valley, Dewlish, Dorchester Casuals, Abbotsbury, Cosmos, Cattistock and Bere Regis.

Among the top performances in the cup competition so far was the 90 scored by Frampton’s John Hurford during their victory over Plush and Ben Bradley’s 86 for Martinstown as they lost to Bere Regis.

In Division Two of the league, Dorchester Casuals have started with two wins from two.

They recorded a seven-wicket triumph against Puddletown, with Will Channon and Dave Trotter claiming figures of 4-17 and 3-7 respectively.

Casuals then beat Frampton by five wickets in a game that witnessed two special knocks.

Chas Duerdoth hit five sixes in an unbeaten 67 for Frampton, before Michael Irrgang blasted 76, which included eight maximums, for the visitors.

Abbotsbury and Hazelbury Bryan also got their summers off to a good start with wins against Cerne Valley and Frampton respectively.

Spinner Aaron Oliver took 5-11 in a devastating spell during the Cerne Valley clash.

Two teams in Division Three have won their opening two fixtures.

Puddletown Reserves were too strong for Plush and Cosmos, winning both games by five wickets.

Charlton Down Seconds also saw off the challenge of Cosmos, thanks largely to Dan Stevens’ (3-7) triple-wicket maiden in the last over of the visitors’ innings.

Stevens (2-12) was in the wickets again when his side overcame Winfrith by 15 runs.

There was a low-scoring win for Cosmos against Puddletown RFC, but the rugby club men did beat Winfrith.

C Ricketts hit an unbeaten 61 in an edgy five-run success.

As for Plush, they did get their first two points of the term when they just saw their way past Cattistock Seconds.

Nine more league fixtures are set to take place across today and Friday, with one of those seeing St George’s host Cattistock at Dorchester Rec.