DORSET 286-5 (2pts) beat CORNWALL 283-4 (0pts) by five wickets

DORSET captain Chris Park was proud of his side after they chased down 283 against Cornwall on Sunday to win by five wickets in the MCCA Knockout Trophy.

After being set the target at North Perrott, Lewis McManus (135) and Masoor Khan (70) set the tone with a opening stand of 153 on the batting-friendly pitch.

However, they still needed the late onslaught from Mark Wolstenhome (40 off 17 balls) to seal their second straight win.

After the game, Park told Echosport he was pleased with his side’s performance.

He said: “It was a great day of cricket with great weather and a wonderful pitch. You can’t ask for much more.”

With the knowledge that North Perrott was a batting haven, it seemed an odd choice for Park to elect to field first.

The decision seemed to be backfiring as Cornwall cruised to 145 without loss with both of their openers Matthew Robins and Matthew Rowe making half-centuries.

Debutant Josh Digby (5-0-42-1) finally got the breakthrough as he had Robins trapped in front.

However, Cornwall kept piling on the runs as Greg Smith scored 57 to keep the pressure on the home side.

But the leg-spin of Max Waller (10-0-62-2) kept them in check as he took two quick wickets to remove both Smith and Rowe (97) in quick succession.

Cornwall’s innings spluttered to a close shortly after that as Dorset bowled well at the death leaving the captain content at tea.

He added: “I felt 283 was a par score on that pitch. They were probably aiming for 325 and I was pleased with how we restricted them.”

McManus continued from where he left off at Berkshire as he and Khan started well.

Khan’s dismissal triggered a wobble from the home side as Tom Jacques (7) and Waller (5) both fell cheaply with McManus watching at the other end.

He then saw Luke Webb depart for 12 and with the run-rate increasing he was in need of some assistance.

And he got it in the form of Wolstenhome who bludgeoned three fours and three sixes in his quick-fire 40 to see his side home.

Park was keen to praise his whole side after the win but had a special mention for his star batsman McManus.

“It was a fantastic century from Lewis but it was a great allround performance and credit has to go to every member of that team.”