POOLE TOWN SECONDS 223-5 (8pts) lost to CHARLTON DOWN 224-7 (17pts) by three wickets

CHARLTON Down boosted their chances of survival with an exciting three-wicket win at fellow strugglers Poole Town Seconds at a very blustery Poole Park in County Division Two.

Poole set the visitors a testing 224 to win with an excellent innings of 94 from Jem Hai and a partnership of 127 with Robin Lutman.

Bowling and fielding was particularly difficult in the open environment of Poole Park, the blustery conditions helping to 34 extras as the wind whipped the ball away for many wide deliveries.

Pick of the Charlton bowlers was Dan Stevens who only conceded 26 runs from his nine overs.

Two brilliant diving catches from James Pretty and Matt Stevens were the only real fielding highlights in the difficult conditions.

Charlton Down’s run chase was hampered with the impressive Sam Greene (3-23) returning from university who struck three times for Poole in the first few overs, blowing away the Charlton top order of Jack Eveleigh for five, Sam Roles (18) and Matt Stevens (2).

With the score on 45-3 after 11 overs a win looked highly unlikely.

However, a real team effort with the bat was about to unfold.

Opener Roger Frapwell (44) battled for nearly two hours and found help from the talented 16-year-old Henry Dipple (27) adding a rebuilding partnership of 62 before Dipple was bowled by Jack Bassett with a perfect yorker with the score on 107-4.

Dipple showed incredible maturity with his shot selection and running between the wicket.

Frapwell’s innings came to a close shortly after brilliantly stumped down the leg side by Jem Hai but he had set up an exciting run chase of 124 in 18 overs.

The new pairing of Javed Gill (50) and Kim Park (15) batted sensibly by pushing the ball into the big outfield of Poole Park and quickly added 34 runs before Park unfortunately played on to his own wickets for 15 and the score on to 154-6.

With 70 runs required off 10 overs, it looked a tall order but another batting duo of Gill and Mark Homewood (30) decided to plunder the tiring Poole bowlers and fielders.

Boundaries were few but the running between the wicket was exhausting to watch.

With one run to win, Homewood was well caught for 30 by Bassett but the job had nearly been done and it was fitting that Gill who had come to the crease at 107-4, was able to hit the winning run and bring up a hard-earned unbeaten half-century, which unusually only included three boundaries and with only six balls remaining in the match.

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