Minor Counties Championship Round Up

Six championship matches produced a full yield of six wins as the sun finally shone, with Lincolnshire and Suffolk celebrating their first two-day victories of the summer.

But pride of place went to Western Division leaders Oxfordshire, who reeled off a fourth straight success in consolidating the lead at the top with an eight-wicket win over major challengers Wiltshire at Marlborough.

Dwain Winter (71) and Jamie Glasson (51) put up some spirited resistance in sharing an opening stand of 116 in the second innings, but Wiltshire were undone by veteran slow left-armer Ian Curtis collecting five for 66 and Oxfordshire cruised to an eight-wicket win.

Herefordshire kept Oxfordshire in their sights - they are still 30 points behind with a game in hand - after a crushing 168-run victory over Cheshire at Cheadle Hulme and Dorset were the other Western Division winners, prolific leg-spinner Vyvian Pike's seven for 27 undermining Cornwall's vain run chase in the first championship match at Penzance since 1982.

Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire both sealed innings victories in the Eastern Division, Steve Naylor completing match figures of 10 for 38 in Buckinghamshire's rout of Hertfordshire at Bishop's Stortford and Elliot Wilson finishing with nine for 85 in Lincolnshire's triumph over Cambridgeshire at Grantham.

Suffolk bowled Bedfordshire out for 175 to set up a four-wicket win at Ipswich School, although they made hard work of knocking off the 175 needed for victory, slipping from 92 without loss to 149 for five before skipper Phil Caley steadied them with an unbeaten 19.

Minor Counties Championship
Cheadle Hulme: Hereford 200-8 & 287-6 (RD Hughes 90, CW Boroughs 56) Cheshire 184-8 & 135 (JE Brinkley 4-22, PA Thomas 4-35) Hereford (22) beat Cheshire (5) by 168 runs
Penzance: Dorset 216 & 241-9 (TCZ Lamb 76, JM Hands 6-90) Cornwall 210 & 126 (VJ Pike 7-27) Dorset (22) beat Cornwall (4) by 121 runs
Bishop's Stortford: Bucks 278-4 Herts 122 and following on 90 (RP Lane 4-35) Bucks (24) beat Herts (1) by an innings and 66 runs
Grantham: Lincs 253-5 Cambs 142 (EJ Wilson 7-61) & following on 99 Lincs (21) beat Cambs (2) by an innings and 12 runs
Ipswich School: Beds 226 & 175 Suffolk 227-7 & 175-6 (RJ Catley 58) Suffolk (24) beat Beds (7) by 4 wickets
Marlborough: Wilts 91 & 227 (DA Winter 71, MJ Glasson 51, IJ Curtis 5-66) Oxon 220-8 & 101-2 Oxon (22) beat Wiltshire (3) by 8 wickets