Having again been asked to bowl first under balmy conditions, Lodway felt unlucky not to have Will Paget LBW in the second over, but the first wicket did not fall until the 9th over when Ben Stitfall caught Robert Knight at slip for 16 off Tobias Rice (1-42). Paget and James Davies combined well in a second-wicket partnership of 31, helped by poor fielding that was to last for the entire innings, and it was not until the 21st over that the second wicket fell, as Tom Metcalfe-Smith (1-21) bowled Paget for 42. Davis was the next to fall, run out for 21 at the hands of Matty Crutchley, which brought the pugnacious Dan Jackson to the crease to join Ben Cox, and the 4th wicket pair drove Lodway to distraction in a 37-ball partnership of 63 that only ended when Ewan Mason (1-21) bowled Cox for 21. Jackson’s rambunctious innings was only ended with a damaged hamstring that led to his retirement for a 26-ball 38, but Adam Tuffery (21*) took up the reins to guide his side to a challenging total with George Stone (20; caught by Mason off Ryan Rice (1-33)) supporting well, as Hanham closed on 233-6 from 40 overs.

In reply, Tobias Rice and Caolan Pearce made a strong start, both finding early boundaries, but, when Rice was needlessly run out for 13 in just the third over with the score already on 22, Lodway’s recent batting frailties were again exposed, as 22-0 became 54-5 against the hostile opening pair of Knight and Ryan Aingworth (2-27), with only Pearce (10) joining Rice T in reaching double figures in the top 5. Although Alfie Rendell and Ryan Rice (11) briefly threatened to restore some dignity, a stunning return catch by Knight (3-14) ended Rendell’s hopes for 17, and, once George Stone was introduced into the attack, it was only the brothers Crutchley in a ninth-wicket stand of 21 that took Lodway towards a batting point, before Stone (4-19) ended the innings by bowling Joe Crutchley for 103 in the 25th over to put Lodway out of their misery.
Although Lodway remain top with 6 matches to go, one more abject performance is likely to spell the end of their promotion hopes, and the trip to Cleeve on Saturday is vital to restore the winning feeling.