Lapworth 1s (pre-season friendly)

More glorious spring sunshine saw Norton Lindsey & Wolverton CC complete their pre-season games with a visit to Lapworth CC, another Cotswold Hills Premier outfit.

Winning the toss, skipper Andrew Dellow invited the hosts to bat first on what looked like a useful surface.
The decision looked a good one when Lapworth were reduced to 60-5, with wickets for Tom Wilcox and Jack Mann.
Batsman Jo Troth survived a strong first ball appeal, and was dropped second before going on to make 29, while number six Akhlak was on a similar score when forced to retire hurt.
Skipper Andrew Dickinson (40) managed to dig in and bring some respectability to the total, before he was bowled comprehensively by Dellow. Lapworth finished on 204-7 after their 40, with Dellow returning best figures of 2-12 off 5.

Norton's reply was immediately in trouble when Simba Mudimo and Tom Wilcox were both removed without scoring. This brought Skipper Dellow (32) out to join Jake Rushton (10), and the pair managed a recovery of sorts until the next wicket fell on 49. The batters were always just behind the required rate, as Mark Reading (18), Dave Jarrett (22), and Dave McInnes (13no) struggled.
Norton finished on 182-7, giving Lapworth the win by 26 runs.