DORCHESTER 228-4 (19pts) beat SHERBORNE 225-8 (19pts) by six wickets

DORCHESTER moved up to second place in the Wessex Internet Dorset Premier League after a six-wicket triumph over Sherborne at Dorchester Rec.

Jon Legg’s men jumped up one spot after Bere Regis beat Poole Town, meaning the three sides are separated by only three points at the halfway stage.

Wimborne, however, possess a 26-point lead at the top of the standings and increased their lead by one point after Dorchester failed to take all ten Sherborne wickets.

Dorchester will still be delighted with this victory against a mercurial Sherborne side containing several explosive batters.

READ MORE: Dorset beat Wiltshire by six wickets at Dorchester Rec

The visitors chose to bat first after winning the toss and made a strong start, building up to 47-0.

Two quick wickets for James Dunham (2-42) put the brakes on but Sherborne continued to play their part in an even contest as they rebuilt astutely.

Mark Roca (54) and Roger Parfitt (45) scored 17 boundaries and a six between them before they fell to the spin of Sathiya Narasimhan (1-23) and Legg (1-40) respectively.

And Sherborne managed to post a respectable total of 225-8 when Tim Durston (34) and Dex Kelly (33) added meaty contributions, despite 3-38 for Krish Subramanian.

In reply, Dorchester suffered an early setback courtesy of a rare low score for Narasimhan (1) as Adam Simmonite (1-40) castled his stumps.

Their riposte was fitting of a side in second place as Legg (51) and Jamie Barrett (45) piled on 109 runs for the second wicket.

Sherborne again showed their battling qualities to remove both players in the space of two runs, Barrett caught off Roger Parfitt (1-36) and a disbelieving Legg chipping a catch to square leg off Joe Arkwright (2-29).

Barrett and Legg had set a good platform for Dorchester to attack and they did so in trademark fashion as Gautham Rajendar displayed his shot-making ability.

The all-rounder carved 45 from just 30 balls, including seven fours, to take Dorchester over the 200 mark in partnership with the more watchful Simon Mitchem.

Although Rajendar was bowled by Arkwright with a half-century in sight, Mitchem (33no) continued with Harry Jones (17no) to guide Dorchy to victory.

Speaking to Echosport, Legg said: “We chased the target well, threw a couple of wickets away but that can happen.

“We performed well overall. We did think at the halfway stage they were 50 short.

“The bowling display was good. There wasn’t much for the seamers at the start. Dunham bowled very and got rewarded for good consistency and patience.

“We let ourselves down in the field, dropping chances and allowing the second run a few times, something we need to work on.”

On the table situation, Legg added: “It’s a great platform we’ve built going into the second half of the season.

“We need to keep doing what we do best and hope Wimborne slip up a couple of times.”

Elsewhere, Dorchester Seconds were involved in a thrilling tie with Winton in County Division Three, while Dorchester Thirds thumped Charlton Down Seconds by nine wickets in Division Six.