CINDERFORD St John strengthened their grip on second place in the Forest of Dean Hundred League with a five-wicket victory over leaders Monmouthshire Menaces.

After winning the toss and choosing to field, Cinderford restricted Monmouth to 110-1 from their 100 balls despite only taking one wicket.

Liam Cottrell claimed the breakthrough, bowling Ben Pilot for eight, while Andrew Dobbie and Benjamin Davies shared an unbroken partnership to steer the visitors to their total. Dobbie finished unbeaten on 28 and Davies top scored with 42.

Monmouth were aided by a generous 32 extras, including 30 wides, but Cinderford's bowlers generally kept the scoring under control. Cottrell returned figures of 1-18 from 20 balls, while Kade Smith conceded just 19 runs and Kuwait Theivendran gave away 21.

Cinderford's reply suffered an early setback when Smith was bowled by Tom Russell for six before Mitchell Scorer fell without scoring to Jared Janes.

Captain Daniel Kibble then took control of the chase. The skipper struck an unbeaten 61 to anchor the innings and ensure the home side remained on course despite regular wickets.

Grantley Sims made four before becoming Russell's second victim, while Eddie Ruck provided valuable support with 29 runs before he was dismissed by Janes, who finished with figures of 3-19 from his 20 balls.

With only one run needed, William Cook and Christopher Taylor completed the task unbeaten as Cinderford reached 111-5 from just 80 balls, sealing victory with 20 balls to spare.

Russell took 2-34 for Monmouth, but Kibble's innings proved decisive as Cinderford claimed the two league points.

The result saw Cinderford close the gap on table-topping Monmouth. The Menaces remain first with 12 points from seven matches, while Cinderford moved on to 10 points in second place.