Froxfield v Steep II: A SEVEN-WICKET spell from Jack Coles proved decisive as Steep’s second team secured a crucial win at rivals Froxfield in County Division 4 South of the Hampshire Cricket League on Saturday.

Steep lost the toss and were asked to bat first on a damp wicket in bowler friendly conditions and eventually finished on 178-6 from their allotted 45 overs.

The Steep innings was largely built around an aggressive 73 from Pete Langly-Smith, which included 10 fours and three sixes, and a quickfire 52 from Gareth Dale which included nine fours.

The pick of the Froxfield bowlers was Hallam Brown, who finished with figures of 2-14 from his nine overs.

The Froxfield reply never really got going as Coles ripped through the top order, dismissing the top four with just 43 runs on the board.

A couple more wickets fell before Coles took two wickets in two balls to leave Froxfield struggling at 91-8. Coles’ final figures were 7-36 from nine overs as Froxfield were dismissed for 130, leaving Steep victorious by 48 runs.

The pick of the Froxfield batsmen was Brown, who was the last man out for a well-made 56.