CAPTAIN Nitin Shetty led from the front with a superb 138 and figures of 2-24 for Birdlip & Brimpsfield who held off Oldlands by 36 runs to record a long-awaited first win of the summer in Division Five of the AMS Gloucestershire County League.
The all-rounder faced 126 balls at the top of the order, hitting 17 fours and five sixes, to totally dominate his side’s 243-5.
Alfie Burt (5-34 from eight) then led the charge with the ball, assisted by Shetty, as Birdlip closed out the victory although they remain bottom of the table, five points behind Oldlands, with two rounds of games to go.
Bowling performance of the day came in Division Two where George Garratt was another skipper in inspirational form, for leaders Great Rissington who held off Cam by three wickets.
The left-arm seamer finished with an excellent return of 7-15 from 8.2 overs as Cam were bowled out for 119 ahead of Rissington moving a step closer towards the title and promotion as they banked 18 points.
There was a surprise defeat in Division One for leaders Aston Ingham at home to bottom side Apperley who romped in by 104 runs.
Opener Matty Williams’ 85 saw the visitors to 184 all out, and it proved to be plenty as Elliot Hayward (4-15) and Marcus Ridal (4-32) made inroads.
The new pacemakers are Langford courtesy of a four-wicket home triumph against Hawkesbury Upton, while Rockhampton kept alive their hopes of bouncing straight back to WEPL with a seven-wicket triumph at Chipping Campden, Tiger Sherred-Isles taking 3-20 from nine.
There was a strong individual performance at Westbury-on-Severn where Devin Rogers dug in for a patient 51 from 93 and followed up with 4-3 from three to help clinch a 126-run home win against Kingsholm.
In Division Three, opener Mahesh Shetty pounded an unbeaten 125, batting all 35 overs and striking six fours and eight sixes, for Ullenwood Bharat who overwhelmed Woodpeckers by 163 runs.
And in Division Six, Ali Smith’s 119 at the top of the order paved the way for Haresfield Gladiators to dispatch Eastcombe by 238 runs, Noaman Ansari following up with 4-11 from five.
Down Hatherley suffered a first reverse of the summer after being dismissed for 91 ahead of succumbing to a seven-wicket setback against Cheltenham 3rds.
But King’s Stanley marched on at the top of Division Seven with a 15-run home win against Eldersfield, captain Jamie Bish finishing with 4-21.
Main image courtesy Mike Starling