MARTINSTOWN II 242-6 (20pts) beat ABBOTSBURY 87 (4pts) by 155 runs

A POOR all round display by Abbotsbury resulted in a heavy 155-run defeat for the Swans away at Martinstown Seconds in County Division Four.

Following a short delay to the match start time due to the rain, which saw the contest reduced to 38 overs, Martinstown opening batting pair Lee House (12) and Steve Gerety (59) put on a good opening stand of 46 off nine overs before Pete Bustin (1-37) trapped House lbw.

Gerety continued to impress however and it was a relief for the Swans when he offered a catch to midwicket off the bowling of Harry Testa-Fisher (1-8).

Sean Norsworthy (1-36) followed up by bowling Neil Pool (14), but Abbotsbury’s hopes of running through the home side’s batting order were soon squashed as the incoming batsmen continued to score rapidly.

Tim White (61) was particularly damaging to the Abbotsbury bowlers’ figures, as he profited against an under-par Swans attack although Alex Drew (2-24) impressed on debut for Abbotsbury with two wickets.

White was dismissed when he pulled a catch off Kynan Brian (1-38) to the leg side boundary, but an unbroken seventh wicket partnership between Jamie Stewart (14no) and James Reynolds (21no) pushed the total to 243.

Swans’ skipper Simon Pengelly (7) was suffering from a back injury, but together with fellow opener Alex Drew (19) accrued 37 for the first wicket before Pengelly gloved one behind, Gerety (2-13) the successful bowler.

The incoming Nick Kneebone (12) edged a couple of fortuitous boundaries but became the second wicket to fall when he slapped a Matt Rimmer delivery to point.

Rimmer then accounted for Drew and Mark Beale then returned swiftly to the pavilion with a duck.

That left the Abbotsbury score on 69-4 and it rapidly became worse for the Swans, when four wickets fell while the score was on 82, with no batsman able to deal with the medium pace of Rimmer, who finished with the outstanding figures of 6-15 off his eight overs.

The Abbotsbury tail was unable to wag as Paul Danbury (2-2) finished off a feeble batting display by the Swans with the final two wickets.

Abbotsbury will be hoping to bounce back in their next fixture against Chalke Valley while Martinstown are away to Wimborne and Colehill Thirds.