DORSET secured double delight on the opening day of the NCCA T20 season, convincingly beating Herefordshire twice at Sherborne School.
Beaten semi-finalists last season, Dorset have signalled their intentions to improve on that milestone with a display that the visitors had no answers to.
Dorset captain Luke Webb won the toss and chose to field in match one, the hosts swiftly eating into the visiting line-up.
Herefordshire appeared well set at 35-1 but collapsed to 83 all out on the final ball of their painstaking innings, left-arm spinner Rob Pack impressing with 3-14 from four overs.
READ MORE: Dorset sign Ross Whiteley for 2023 white-ball season
Dorset were equally slow in their chase but crucially kept wickets in hand as Sam Young stroked a match-winning 51 not out from 61 balls, despite the admirable efforts of Alex Russell (3-9).
Herefordshire won the toss and elected to field in match two, finding Dorset in more aggressive mood with the bat.
Joseph Eckland, called-up for England’s Young Lions over the winter, joined Young in registering a half-century when compiling 62 from 52 balls to set up a good total.
Young (32) and David Scott (18) also contributed as Dorset posted 130-4 from 20 overs.
And, once again, Herefordshire came up dreadfully short with the bat as Dorset’s attack proved too good, restricting them to 80-8 from their 20 overs.
Jacob Gordon (2-9) and Scott (2-19) were the pick of the bowlers as Dorset made the perfect start to life in Group Two.
However, Dorset's star signing Ross Whiteley began with only four and one in his respective innings.
Webb’s men visit rivals Devon on Sunday at Exmouth in their next double-header (11am).
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