A battling performance from Tipton’s cricketers at Tedburn on Sunday was not sufficient to beat a strong , well-disciplined home side who restricted Tipton’s batsmen to a below-par 186, which they then defended with a well-timed run chase, which featured a stand of 146 for the third wicket, writes David Birch.

Yet again, Phil Tolley shouldered the batting responsibility single-handedly with a patient 105 not out, despite the presence of several proven run scorers in Tipton’s XI.

Dave Alford (18) shared a positive opening partnership of 49 with Tolley, but it was not until the arrival of Dave Dawson at number eight that Tipton built another useful partnership. Dawson contributed a quick-fire 25 to an unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 61, which gave the bowlers some kind of target to defend.

They made a good start, too, with Joe Birch and Steve Shaw sharing an accurate opening spell. Birch opened with two quick and hostile maidens, then uprooted Barlow’s off stump.

Shaw bowled his eight overs straight through, conceding only 17 runs in an excellent spell, and was unlucky not to take a wicket.

Dave O’Higgins’ scalp of Tedburn skipper Baker was then Tipton’s last success, until Tolley ran out L Coren for a well-made 81.

By then, however, Coren had put on 146 with Barr (who went on to make 61 not out) and it was virtually all over.

On a positive note, Tipton’s fielders stuck well to their task and competed hard until the end of the match: they were extremely unfortunate not to convert several difficult chances into wickets.

Of more concern is the fact that their batsmen seem unable to build match-winning partnerships: this must surely change if they are to end their season on a high note.