CHARLTON DOWN 243-6 (20pts) beat DORCHESTER II 107 (4pts) by 136 runs

NEWLY-PROMOTED Charlton Down opened their County Division Three campaign with a convincing 136-run win over Dorchester’s second XI.

After losing the toss, Charlton Down openers Roger Frapwell (56) and Jae Miller (61) batted cautiously against the Dorchester opening bowlers of Mike Peak (1-23) and Habib Wardak (1-51) setting a good platform with the score to 76-0 at the drinks interval of 22 overs.

Frapwell and Miller then unleashed a string of boundaries, adding 61 runs in just nine overs before Dorchester’s Eiron Fitzgerald removed his wicketkeeping pads to come on to bowl for the county town side.

In his first over, Fitzgerald had Frapwell well caught for a patient 56, including 10 fours, and broke the impressive 133-run partnership.

Four runs later, the evergreen Pete Diffy (1-38) bowled Miller for a well-constructed 61 off 81 balls.

The loss of two quick wickets brought together 19-year-old Nick Voss and 21-year-old Sam Roles, who added 56 runs in only six overs to push the score to 193-2.

The return opening bowlers accounted for Roles and Matt Stevens, and a there was also a quality stumping by Sean Fitzgerald off son Eiron, as the Charlton Down score crept past 200.

The quality strokeplay from Nick Voss saw him hit a quick-fire 59 not out in only 46 balls including seven fours and two sixes. Voss showed true quality as he stroked the ball all around the ground to see the Charlton Down innings finish on an imposing 243-6.

Dorchester’s father and son opening pair of Sean and Eiron Fitzgerald found batting difficult against the opening bowling brothers of Matt and Dan Stevens.

And it was the excellent swing bowling of Dan Stevens who had Eiron Fitzgerald caught miss-timing a drive straight to Sam Roles at cover with the score on 25. Matt Stevens then bowled the dangerous Steve Clifford with a yorker for five at 30-2.

The experienced duo of Sean Fitzgerald and Peak steadied the ship and added 32 before a mini-batting collapse saw Sean Fitzgerald, Baker and Diffy all dismissed with the score on 69.

Wardak and Billy Baker took the score to 100-6 when Baker was caught and bowled by Charlton Down’s Kim Park. Experienced bowling from Rich Fagence saw him strike three times to reduce Dorchester from 100-6 to 107-9.

It was left to the returning Dan Stevens to bowl Dorchester’s Ben Alford for two and take the first 20-point haul for Charlton Down of the season.