AMPORT started the summer with a thoroughly successful and enjoyable club match on Sunday, with some sparkling performances setting the scene for what they hope will be a bright Summer for the village club.

Dividing the players equally into teams it was Paul Bruen who had the first success, winning the toss and electing to bat. Dylan Gomersall opened the batting with 1st XI opener and vice-captain Martin Allwork.

But Allwork, who has looked great in practice in the nets, got a vicious rising delivery from Phil Jackson and only managed to cut the ball straight to the diving Jim Gilmour to depart without a run on the board.

With his opening partner gone, Gomersall dug in at the other end, while No 3 Ben Wadsworth (19) demonstrated why the Amport 1st XI middle-order could be under some pressure this season.

Hitting the ball cleanly throughout his innings, he was finally undone caught and bowled again by Jackson with the score on 30. Gomersall also fell with score on 30, having worked really hard for his 10.

Jon Anstee and Clive Hacker gave a real push to the innings, putting on 80 for the fourth wicket, before Gary Petman had Anstee brilliantly caught one-handed by Lee Ayers on the boundary, with his first wicket Petman jumped into life and finished of the innings with figures of 4-58, with only Leighton Bone making any impression on the scoresheet with a not out score of 20. A hard hitting innings of 16 from Luke Harding pushed the total onto 164 all out.

In reply, Nick Bone' XI were given a perfect start with 1st XI opener Mark Derbyshire (29) and 2nd XI opener Jim Gilmour (31) proving more than a match for the opening bowling duo of Leighton Bone and Paul Bruen.

They took the score to 56 when Derbyshire skied a ball from the impressive Martin Startup, the ball looked to be sailing over the head of Leighton Bone in the covers but, with the ball all but passed him, he stuck out a hand and took an impressive onehanded catch.

With the score on 34 , 1st XI captain Nick Bone (50) joined Lee Ayers (40no) and from the word go the pair hit the ball cleanly and eight overs later Bone was finally caught and bowled by Doug Stevens with the total on 140 and all but settled things in his team's favour, having struck two sixes and eight fours,

With Tom Clark (4no) joining Ayers the innings closed on 167-4, with Nick Bone's team winning by six wickets.