Tipton mopped up Sidbury tail

Tipton completed their ninth win in eleven outings this season on Sunday's visit to Sidbury. Skipper David Birch lost the toss and was unsurprisingly invited by Sidbury captain Mark Bishop to field first on a hot sunny afternoon.Sidbury were soon in trouble when Jim Bugler bowled Dave O'Connor in the first over before a run had been scored. Birch had a close lbw appeal refused off his first ball to Bishop, but only had to wait another three overs before a second appeal went his way and Bishop departed for 13 with the score on 15. Mark Stoyle tried to carry the attack to the bowling and contributed a quick 16 before he was bowled by Birch, going for a leg-side heave.Bugler then followed up with two wickets in his sixth over and Sidbury were reeling on 45-5. Mark Channon and Paul Shonk took over the bowling and claimed a wicket each as Sidbury tried to rebuild. Shonk's wicket came courtesy of a brilliant diving catch by Robin Pickering at backward point. George Powell offered stubborn resistance in his 14, but fell lbw to Dave O'Higgins who came on to mop up the tail, finishing with 3-2 from three overs, leaving Sidbury all out on 70 after 25 overs.Tipton's reply began inauspiciously when Justin Quick spooned Nick Baxter's first ball to mid-off and Steve Shaw was bowled by O'Connor nine runs later. O'Connor, well supported by Baxter, represented the greatest threat in an excellent spell which made the most of the wicket and accounted for the watchful Pickering, third out on 41. Phil Tolley, in at number 4, adopted a cautious approach at first and then opened up when Pickering fell, calming Tipton's jitters as he took the score from 41 to 55 in one over. His 33 not out, supported by Dave Dawson's three boundaries in a quick-fire 14, eased Tipton past their target for the loss of three wickets.Sidbury had stuck well to their task in the field in defending a small total and will be looking to even things up when they make the short journey to Tipton in August.