SIMON Mitchem was full of praise for Dorchester as they beat Shroton by 204 runs in the Dorset Funeral Plan Premier Division.

The win saw the return to the Rec of Will Caldwell two years after sustaining a bad knee injury and he celebrated with a superb unbeaten 111.

Caldwell scored 100 of his runs as part of a fantastic 292-run partnership with Bharat Popli, who himself hit 181.

Dorchester have an unbeaten record in the league, with six wins from six.

However, vice-captain Mitchem emphasised: “It is just about maintaining our form and consistency now.

When asked if he was surprised at the nature of the win, Mitchem said: “We lost Dan Belt early but then Bharat and Will accumulated runs really easily and we were in a really good position at drinks.

“They just kicked on from there and we have seen them bat really well and do a proper job. So I am not surprised but really pleased.”

When asked about who he felt were the standout performers, accounting for Popli and Caldwell’s efforts at the crease, Mitchem said: “Dan Belt worked really well up top with five well bowled and I had 2-11 off eight overs. We bowled really tightly, we put the ball in the right areas so it was an all-round good performance from everyone so that is really pleasing.”