MARTINSTOWN 155-9 (5pts) lost to WIMBORNE & COLEHILL 156-6 (18pts) by four wickets

MARTINSTOWN fell short in their final league fixture of the season at the Leaze, as it was party time for champions Wimborne & Colehill.

The home side chased down their victory target of 156 with four wickets and 11 balls to spare despite a brave effort from Ed Nichols’ men, in a low scoring contest to bring the season to a climax.

With title rivals Poole Town hammering Broadstone by nine wickets in an emphatic victory, Wimborne knew they needed to take 18 league points from the encounter to secure the title and that is exactly what they did.

But Martinstown skipper Nichols praised his side for sticking at it and making sure the Minstermen had to work to claim the crown.

He told Echosport: “We did our best in the week to make sure we had as strong a side as possible.

“I know it can get difficult towards the end when you have nothing on the line but we wanted to make sure we did justice for Poole because we gave them a good game as well.”

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the visitors found it tough going with only four of their batsmen reaching double figures. Ben Lawes top scored with 55 as Martinstown closed on 155-9.

In reply, Wimborne got off to a flyer and had reached 101 before their first wicket fell.

But in his second spell with the ball, Martinstown paceman Chris Read helped set up a slightly nervy finish, claiming 4-30.

However, it proved not to matter as Tom Caines (4no) and Ben Ratcliffe (1no) saw the hosts home to claim the title by just one point.

“The wicket was tricky to bat on and tended to pop off a length,” Nichols added.

“To start with we were just sloppy with the ball, we thought if we could put pressure on with the ball early they might struggle to get the job done.

“It was a surreal way to finish the season but I am glad in the end we sort of made them work a little bit and made it a good finish.”

Pictures by Luke Westacott