Having finally won a toss, home skipper Joe Crutchley had no hesitation in batting first, although Tobias Rice was questioning that decision when he was sharply caught at short extra cover for a duck. However, the pitch must have improved immediately, as Adam Robson and Ben Stitfall conquered the demons to combine in a stand of 199, which was only ended when Stitfall chased a wide delivery from Alexandr Soch (1-83) to fall for 79 at 201. Caolan Pearce hit his first ball for 4, but contributed little else as Jack Spiers (2-35) breached his defences for 6 shortly after Robson reached three figures, putting himself at the top of the run-scoring charts in division 1. Robson finally fell for 109 at the hands of Mitchell Want (1-43), and it was left to Tom Marsh (26*) and Ryan Rice (6*) to take Lodway’s total to 257-4 at the interval.

After a fine tea courtesy of Matty Crutchley, it was his brother Joe (1-33) who was first to strike, getting revenge on dangerman Want, taking him for a couple of boundaries by bowling him for 17 with one that turned away from the bat. Tobias Rice was next into the action as number 3 Alfie Parsons gave Stephen Edmonds a regulation catch at the wicket, and, when visiting skipper Glenn Lewin went back to one from Rice that jagged in and kept a little low, Cleeve found themselves 37-3. Although Edmonds dropped left-handed number 5 Tom Birt early in his innings, Birt could not make the most of his life, as he soon edged Rice (3-35) to the safer hands of Stitfall to leave the visitors 59-4. Spiers and Cam Elswood launched a mini-revival, taking their score past 100, but Spiers was not able to reach his own half-century as he edged Matty Crutchley into Edmonds’ right gauntlet to fall for 42. Crutchley MW struck again as his brother held hobbling James Tucker’s shot in the deep to finish with 2-47, but Soch and Elswood then combined in a 41-run 7th wicket partnership to threaten Lodway’s ability to claim maximum points by dismissing the opposition. However, the introduction of Ewan Mason and Ryan Rice soon paid dividends, as Mason dismissed Soch for 21 before Edmonds claimed his third catch of the innings when Elswood (36) got a leading edge to Ryan Rice (1-7), and the veteran stopper made the catch his. It was then left to Mason to bring the innings to a close, which he did in fine style by claiming the last two wickets in two balls, finishing with 3-17, and leaving himself on a hat-trick as the 1st XI head to long-standing rivals Timsbury on Saturday, in the hope of finishing the month unbeaten.