ALCESTER and Ragley were far too strong for FISSC as they won by 134 runs in the Cotswold Hills League Division One.

The hosts opted to bat first on a scorching hot day at Ragley Park on what looked a decent batting track.

Runs ticked along but both openers were gone with only 36 on the board from the first 12 overs.

Arthur Bennett and John Tose came together and added 70 runs in good time until the former mistimed a pull to be caught off the bowling of Stokes for 27. The score was 106-3 from 24 overs.

Tose was joined by Lewis Clark and the scoring rate accelerated as both hit several sixes in the next couple of overs and the 150 was bought up in the 30th over.

Tose reached his 50 in the same over after some crisp hitting but was bowled next ball.

Clark was out for 33 with the score on 170-5 and the final total looked to be falling short of expectations.

However, Adam Peachey and Sam Westwood put on an excellent 50 partnership to lift Ragley to a final total of 231-7.

Peachey finished with 41 not out from just 38 balls and Westwood 22 from 16 balls.

Westwood carried on his aggression with the bat into his bowling as he blew the top order of FISSC away with ten hostile overs and finished with 3-18.

However, it was fellow opener Tim Jackson (1-5) who claimed the first wicket as he nipped one back to bowl Stokes for two.

Westwood then took the next three wickets, his last an excellent short of a length delivery that flicked the gloves to have Smith caught behind for 12 and have FISSC in serious trouble at 40-4 from 20 overs.

Change bowlers Adam Warbrick and Mark Woolley cleaned up the last six wickets between them in the next 14 overs to consign FISSC to a heavy defeat after they subsided to 97 all out. Assisted by some good catching from Ollie Swinburn and Woolley, Warbrick took 4-29 from seven overs and Woolley 2 -22 as Ragley won by 134 runs.

l Cookhill’s firsts returned to winning ways by seeing off Alcester’s seconds, due to some fine batting from Daniel Mills (109no) and Jay O’Donnell (51), as they guided them to 274-4. O’Donnell took four wickets as Alcester were kept to 239-8.