Ashwell CC (41-2) beat Saffron Walden III (39 all out) by eight wickets A STORMING performance with the ball and a second consecutive league win on Saturday has given Ashwell renewed hope of avoiding relegation from Cambridgeshire Senior Division Three. H

Ashwell CC (41-2) beat Saffron Walden III (39 all out) by eight wickets

A STORMING performance with the ball and a second consecutive league win on Saturday has given Ashwell renewed hope of avoiding relegation from Cambridgeshire Senior Division Three.

Having elected to field first, Ashwell's Martin Talks had the Saffron Walden batsmen in immediate trouble by reducing them to 1-3 inside the first five overs of the game.

Talks took a fourth wicket in an outstanding opening burst and Walden's surviving batsmen found it impossible to score with Talks at one point holding remarkable figures of 6-6-4-0.

While Gary Simmons provided control at the other end, Talks continued to break through Saffron Walden's batting and with the score at 39-6, Talks had all six wickets.

He was denied a straight haul, however, by Graham Scott who whipped out Walden's captain Sparrow for 24, Murphy first ball and then Hill first ball to a very sharp catch at leg gully by Tom Wallace to record a hat-trick on his way to figures of 3-7.

Talks wasn't finished though, and he took the final wicket to fall to record season's best figures of 10-7-12-7 as Saffron Walden were all out for 39 in just 19 overs.

Ashwell lost both openers cheaply in chasing the target, but Tom Wallace (14no) and Matt Skelding (13no) provided a no-nonsense approach as they reached their target in an embarrassingly low 8.2 overs.