Portland RED TRIANGLE 185 (20pts) beat BRIDPORT 133 (7pts) by 52 runs

SKIPPER Matt Gomm admitted his Portland Red Triangle side had “got out of jail” after Bridport self-destructed at Brewery Field.

The hosts had looked on course to land a crucial blow in the battle for survival before a remarkable collapse saw them bowled out 52 runs short of their target.

After restricting Portland to 185, Bridport somehow conspired to lose their last seven wickets for 19 runs as 114-3 became 133 all out.

Victory for the islanders has diminished their chances of being relegated from Dorset League Division Three, whereas Bridport’s future looks anything but secure.

Gomm told the Echo: “Looking through their scorebook it seemed that 185 was a defendable total, but two of their guys batted well.

“I thought the game was gone but we knew they had a young team so we kept plugging away and managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

“We got out of jail and I’m over the moon. It gives us more breathing space over Bridport and makes our life a lot easier from now on.

“We know we’ve got some winnable matches coming up, but on our day I think we can beat anybody because when we are good we are very good.”

After being asked to field first, Bridport plunged the visitors into disarray as paceman Ashley Nicholls (6-47) ripped through the top order courtesy of a menacing opening burst.

Portland constructed a recovery with Simon Barrett (62) steering the islanders out of troubled waters alongside Scott Males (21) and Gomm (33).

All-rounder Dom Gape (3-27) accounted for three batsmen before Nicholls returned to polish off the tail as Portland’s final five wickets fell for just 10 runs.

Bridport sought a solid start but their innings started in much the same way as Portland’s, with the home side slumping to 27-3.

Nicholls and wicketkeeper Mark Tozer (27) then shared a rapid fourth-wicket stand of 87 that should have been the launchpad for a successful run chase.

However, Tozer’s exit heralded an astonishing capitulation as Bridport’s inexperienced lower order failed to withstand the pressure exerted by a rampant Portland.

Jon Dixon (5-37) was the chief destroyer and he grabbed the wicket of last man Shane Parker (2) to cue scenes of contrasting emotions in West Dorset.

Defeated stand-in captain Smith said: “I’m absolutely gutted because we completely lost our heads and just threw wickets away.

“We had got ourselves into a good position and should have seen it through, but as soon as Ashley got out our heads dropped and that was it.

“Effectively it was a 40-pointer. If we had won we would have got out of the relegation zone but now there is daylight between us and Portland again.”