HARRY Beardsley played a starring role as Wimborne & Colehill maintained their Dorset Funeral Plan Premier League title challenge with a 58-run victory over Martinstown.

Beardsley (7-41) ripped through the hosts in a rain-affected contest at Lower Ashton Farm, his magnificent exploits helping dismiss Martinstown for 187.

Chasing a revised target of 245, Martinstown fell well short and were condemned to a fifth defeat on the trot with Beardsley their chief tormentor.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the in-form Minstermen set the ideal platform with 150 on the board before the first wicket fell.

Openers Colin Randall (87) and Marcus Cook (50) were both in fine form, Cook hitting two fours and three sixes in his 50-ball stay.

And after Liam Banfield had removed the pair in quick succession, Mark House (58) maintained the momentum, his 51-ball innings including three fours and two sixes.

House was the last man out with the score on 264 for five with Joe Weld (24) chipping in as Wimborne & Colehill posted an imposing 269.

A brief delay due the weather saw Martinstown set a revised target of 245 from 41 overs, their task not helped when Simon Woodruff struck early to remove opener Matt Camp with the score on nine.

However, skipper Ed Nichols (42) and Lee House (38) steadied the ship, their second-wicket partnership of 82 leaving Martinstown in good shape.

But after House had become Beardsley’s first victim – the batsman sending a return catch to the bowler – wickets continued to fall and the run rate climbed.

Beardsley claimed the next six wickets as 91 for one became 151 for eight, with only Steve Bishop (49) showing any resistance for the hosts as they were eventually stopped at 187 (Tom Caines 1-31, Weld 1-22, Woodruff 1-23).

Martinstown skipper Nichols was gracious in defeat and said: “They were a bit too canny for us in how they went about it.

“We never really had a huge over or really put the pressure on them. They just squeezed us out of the game and it’s probably a good lesson for us in how to defend a total. They looked like a good outfit and were a little too much for us on the day.”

Meanwhile, Broadstone skipper Steve Trembath felt the toss had been a decisive factor in their five-wicket defeat by Poole Town at Poole Park.

Set a revised target of 126 after Broadstone had made 129 for eight, Poole Town eased home for the loss of five wickets.

Trembath said: “I’d say that after wet weather, it was always going to be a big toss to win. Unfortunately for us, the coin didn’t go our way.

“While our batsmen dug in, we did not bat intelligently enough to take the singles that were on offer and, as a result, set a target that was always going to be hard to defend against a Poole team that know the conditions well.”

Dorchester, who started the weekend top of the pile, dropped to fourth after their trip to Swanage was cancelled as wins for Wimborne & Colehill, Sherborne and Poole Town enabled them to leapfrog the county town outfit.

Parley (125-9) lost to Stalbridge (212-9) by 60 runs with a revised target of 185, while Shillingstone (228) lost to Sherborne (238-6) by 10 runs.