BOSBURY travelled to Bartestree on Saturday for this Marches League division four game and the league leaders came away with a 127-run victory.

Bartestree and Lugwardine second XI won the toss and asked Bosbury to bat.

Bosbury opener Dave Taylor raced comfortably to 23 before cutting a ball from Cassidy to gully, where P Hobbs took the catch. Dave Daffin joined Matt Graff, and they had taken the score to 103 when Graff, on 47, had a swing at G S Jones but missed and was bowled.

This brought Luke Ledbury to the wicket and he was soon in the runs, hitting a six for his first scoring stroke, and then striking the ball with power all around the ground as he and Daffin continued to accumulate runs steadily. They took the score past 200 with a partnership of 99 but then Ledbury was deceived by a slower ball from I Carr and was bowled for a fine 63.

Darren Cooke joined Daffin and began hitting out straight away. Dave Daffin was out finally, caught by G A Jones off Simpkin for a patient 46 with the score on 241. Then Steve Davies joined Darren Cooke, looking to accelerate in the last five overs. Cooke was out caught by Carr off Simpkin for a quick-fire 40, then Jon Owen hit a four and was caught by Jones off Cassidy. Davies scored some useful boundaries in his 23 before he was caught by Wilcox off Cassidy off the last ball, leaving Mark Wadley on one not out as Bosbury posted a total of 285-7 off their 45 overs.

Cassidy having the best bowling figures for Bartestree with 3-59.

In reply, Bartestree started steadily, but after 10 overs had posted only 30 runs for the loss of T Nixon, run out brilliantly by a throw from the keeper Paul Allen for 16. Allen then took an athletic catch left-handed to remove the other opener, G A Jones, for 17 in a superb first over from Darren Cooke.

The Bosbury total was already looking out of reach of the home team, as they continued to score at around three an over. Steve Davies had T Wilcox well caught in the gully by Matt Graff for seven with the score on 59, then it was another eight overs before P Monteith was caught by Daffin running in from point off Alan Lancett for five.

R Fisher had played well and patiently for his 32 before he was run out after the throw from Jon Owen rebounded off Paul Allen's pads onto the stumps, but I Carr and B Simpkin (39no) were happy to play out the remaining overs.

They took the score to 148-5 in the 43rd over when Carr was eventually run out for 26 trying to take a run after some sloppy fielding.

The new batsman K Jones was out in the next over, caught behind for 0 by Paul Allen off Steve Davies, who finished with figures of 2-28, but Bartestree saw out the final over to finish on 158-7, still 127 runs behind.

Tomorrow (Saturday, Bosbury are at home against Burghill & Tillington 2nd XI in the Marches League.