WEYMOUTH SECONDS 175-9 (24) beat BOURNEMOUTH THIRDS 104 all out (5) by 71 runs

TAILENDERS Dan Hutchens and Jack Croker put on a last-wicket stand of 48 to help Weymouth Seconds gain their first win of the season in Dorset Funeral Plan Division One.

The pair met in the middle with their side struggling on 127-9 but their fantastic rearguard action combined with a superb team performance in the field was enough to land the Seasiders 24 points and an impressive victory.

Winning skipper Steve Budd said: "At one stage I felt we may not even make 150 at 124-8, however it was time for our tail to wag this week and wag they did and in the end it was a well deserved win over a good side.

"We have been threatening this type of result since the start of the season but in the first three games never quite got across the finish line.

"Today we kept the pressure on when we needed to and finished them off in convincing fashion.

"The other great thing was that everyone contributed and with Dan's 38 valuable runs, the bowling of Neil Walton and Jack, and Will McKay's inspirational wicket keeping, we really showed what class and depth we have at such a young age."

The visitors won the toss and chose to field much to the surprise of Budd, who believed it to be good batting conditions with the track looking hard and flat.

Openers Jonnie Armfield (4) and Andy Fulton (4) both failed to make an impact for the first time this season, both going cheaply in the first five overs and that left the Seasiders reeling on 15-2. McKay (15) then steadied the ship with the evergreen Andy Jarvis by putting on a partnership of 35 before he was finally clean bowled by L Stanford (1-27).

That brought Ed Wilsdon to the crease and he cracked a quickfire 20 as Jarvis (17) was run out in a somewhat dubious decision whilst just starting to open up.

The returning Matt Lawes then missed a looping full toss, losing his middle stump, before Budd (14) and Tom Newton (14) came together and put on 30 to rebuild the innings.

Budd and Newton then fell to catches leaving their side still floundering on 127-9 and in desperate need of a late rally that came in the form of Dan Hutchens, whose flamboyant style saw him fire 38 not out alongside 15-year-old Croker (8 not out).

That amazing flurry of runs left Bournemouth requiring 176 for success, so when Matt Lawes (1-21) clean bowled R Halls for a duck with the second ball of their reply it looked like the writing was on the wall.

J Coombs (15) and John Symons (26) then mounted some resistance with a 50 partnership but once the former holed out to McKay off the bowling of Newton (2-21) the collapse began.

Symons followed shortly after to Walton (2-13) and from there the visitors struggled to 85-7 with Croker (2-18) also breaking through.

In that period B Lyndsey-Clark (17) did show some fight for Bournemouth but unlike in the first innings their tail failed to wag with McKay taking a fine catch behind the stumps to dismiss C Mills and the last two visiting batsmen both being run out.

Bournemouth's innings closed on 104 all-out and there is no doubt that this win will give Weymouth's youngsters huge confidence for the rest of the season.

REDLANDS SCOREBOARD

WEYMOUTH SECONDS

Armfield c Coombs b Haiff 4

Fulton c Blackburn b Spicer 4

McKay b Stanford 15

Jarvis run out 17

Wilsdon c Symons b Coombs 20

Lawes b Mills 6

Budd c Mills b Watts 14

Newton c Mills b Watts 14

Walton c Sutton b Watts 1

Hutchens not out 38

Croker not out 8

Extras (24w, 1nb, 2b, 7lb) 34

Total (for 9wkts, 50overs) 175

FoW: 1-7, 2-15, 3-55, 4-83, 5-95, 6-95, 7-122, 8-124, 9-127

Bowling: Stanford 10-1-27-1, Haniff 7-0-39-1, Spicer 9-1-30-1, Coombs 6-1-15-1, Mills 10-1-27-1, Watts 8-1-28-3.

BOURNEMOUTH THIRDS

Hall b Lawes 0

Coombs c McKay b Newton 15

Symons c Fulton b Walton 26

Lyndsey-Clark b Walton 17

Blackburn c Hutchens b Newton 6

Haniff st McKay b Croker 2

Spicer lbw Croker 5

Mills c McKay b Fulton 1

Watts run out 3

Stanford run out 6

Sutton not out 3

Extras (12w, 3nb, 1b, 4lb) 20

Total (all-out, 31.1overs) 104

FoW: 1-0, 2-51, 3-51, 4-64, 5-79, 6-79, 7-85, 8-89, 9-101

Bowling: Lawes 4-0-21-1, Hutchens 5-1-19-0, Walton 7-3-13-2, Newton 4-0-21-2, Croker 6.1-2-18-2, Fulton 5-2-7-1.