PUDDLETOWN 191ao (19pts) beat PARLEY II 86ao (5pts) by 105 runs

PUDDLETOWN picked up their first win of the County Division Two season, thrashing Parley Seconds by 105 runs at Winfrith.

After an uncontested toss, Puddletown were inserted to bat but made a steady start to the innings with Chris Clarke (9) and the returning Lucas Allen (49) dispatching anything short to the boundary.

At 42-0 from seven overs, Parley made the breakthrough as Clarke was undone by a brilliant yorker from Parley captain James Miller (1-36).

Moments later, Parley were celebrating again as a mix up between Allen and Eastment (1) saw the later stranded, leaving Parley fielder Kieron Laird with the easiest of run outs.

After the run out, Puddletown were noticeably rattled and when captain Adam Barrett (6), Michael Crabb (5) and the dangerous Tom Blair (1) were all dismissed in quick succession, Puddletown were struggling at 75-5 at the drinks break.

Puddletown’s saviour however came from the unlikely source of Adam Weir. Through a mixture of cautious defence and lusty blows to the boundary, the stylish Weir found partners in Scotsman Rob Snow (10) and Dave Morris (11) to eventually guide Puddletown to 191 all out, with Weir remaining unbeaten for a classy 64 not out.

After the interval, Parley’s reply got off to the worst possible start as Puddletown’s Tom Blair (6-13) ripped through the visitors’ top order, bowling with immense pace and aggression.

After trapping Manas Sinha (0) lbw in his first order, Blair continued to tear through Parley, clean bowling Matt King (12), Marcus Bragginton (0), Kieran Laird (0) and lastly Steve Laird (0) to secure his hat-trick, leaving Parley wounded at 24-6 after 14 overs.

Despite some late resistance from the tail, Puddletown continued to pick up wickets through Snow (1-29) and Clarke (1-2), resulting in Parley being bowled out for a modest 86, giving Puddletown a 19-point victory.

Speaking to Echosport, Barrett was delighted with the result, highlighting his team’s togetherness and team spirit.

“We have a real togetherness amongst the group along with a never say die attitude. Our heads could easily have dropped after last week’s disappointment, but testament to the lads they came back fighting and thoroughly deserve this victory,” he said.

When reflecting on the performance, Barrett reserved special praise for Weir, acknowledging his contribution with the bat.

He said: “When Weir came into bat, we were really struggling at 70-odd for five, but he showed real maturity with his shot selection to guide us out of trouble. He is really enjoying his cricket and starting to become a real match winner for the side.”

On top of Weir’s performance, Barrett also commended the contribution from Tom Blair, labelling him as the best bowler in the division “by a distance”.

He said: “Blair’s spell on Saturday is right up there with the best I have seen on a cricket pitch. If a couple of catches had carried on Saturday he could have had eight or nine wickets, and for my money he’s the best bowler in the division by a distance.”

Meanwhile in Division 6, Puddletown Seconds lost by 120 runs to Weymouth Seconds.

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