DORSET 286-9 & 267-7 beat CHESHIRE 125 & 254 by 174 runs

DORSET wrapped up their first victory of the MCCA Unicorns Championship Western Division season with a crushing 174-run triumph over Cheshire.

Over the course of three days, the visitors were thoroughly outplayed but Dorset were made to work harder than expected to secure the win.

Needing just eight wickets to dismiss Cheshire, who sought an improbable 404 runs to beat their hosts, Dorset made a rapid start as the in-form Brad Currie trapped both Simon Normanton (6) and captain Danny Leech (1) leg before.

Currie swiftly claimed his fourth wicket of the innings, bowling opener Ben Gibbon (36) with a delicious inswinger as Dorset eroded Cheshire to 80-5 before lunch.

After the resumption, Cheshire dug in. Rick Moore (61) was the most obdurate of the away batsmen but Jigar Naik (2-66) finally broke the resistance of Jamie Crawley (21) as Dorset pulled themselves within four wickets of success.

As Cheshire continued to make life difficult for the Dorset attack, Naik went on to bowl a staggering 23 maidens from 50 overs as the away side showed genuine optimism a draw could be rescued.

Dorset used seven bowlers, the last of which Alex Turner (1-10) removed Robert Sehmi (21) before Josh Digby (1-52) accounted for the steadfast Moore.

But Dorset did not bank on a mammoth ninth-wicket stand of 66 between David Wainwright, who notched a defiant half-century from 115 balls, and Calum Rowe (29).

The duo fought on until Rowe was run out by Harry Fisher and soon afterwards Currie (5-85) tempted Wainwright into offering a catch to claim his maiden 10-wicket haul and end Cheshire’s brave innings.