CHARLTON DOWN 217 (19pts) beat PORTLAND RT SECONDS 179-8 (10pts) by 38 runs

CHARLTON Down completed their first league double of the season with a solid victory over Portland Red Triangle to remain second in County Division Five.

The Charlton Down innings started brightly with 48 runs coming off the first 10 overs, mainly from the bat of Jae Miller.

The left arm medium pace of Portland’s Tom Dalkins (2-33) struck twice. He removed Miller (30), who mistimed a drive to mid-off, and then bowled Jack Eveleigh with a yorker which cannoned into off stump.

Portland turned to spin and four quick wickets from Gareth Price and Sam Potts saw Charlton Down slip to 106-6.

Sam Roles was the first of two victims for Price (2-30), caught on the edge of the mid-wicket boundary for a run-a-ball 18, and then Kim Park fended off a lifting ball to wicketkeeper John Walker.

Potts (2-51) then removed Nick Voss (23), who was looking comfortable, and Javed Gill fell leg before to a ball that kept low.

But the strength of the Charlton Down batting order once again shone as Matt Stevens (23) and Rob Rutter (19) helped the hosts recover, with a 47-run partnership gaining them valuable batting points.

The final-wicket partnership of 54 between Dan Stevens (30 not out) and Matt Venn (22) also took the game away from Portland as Charlton Down posted 217.

In reply, the Triangle batsmen found scoring tricky against the accurate opening attack of Matt and Dan Stevens.

The change in bowling saw Gill have Ray Price caught by Roles for 16 with the score on 44-1.

Gareth Price upped the visitors' run-rate with some hard hitting until he was smartly stumped by Venn off Roles (2-33) for 40.

Roles struck again to have the dangerous Jan Davey caught behind and 85-3 soon became 119-6, with Gill (2-33) bowling Lee for 19 and Park and Homewood picking up a wicket apiece.

With 10 overs remaining and 100 runs still required by the island outfit, Charlton Down’s Park snared the wickets of Morris and Dalkins, while Rich Samuels unearthed some lusty blows to remain 44 not out as Portland fell short of victory.

Charlton Down skipper Pete Tucker said: “Giving our young players a chance to develop their skills is now coming to fruition with Eveleigh, Roles and the Stevens and Voss brothers growing in confidence.”