CINDEFORD St John CC made light work of their chase on a damp and drizzly evening as they beat Parkend by seven wickets in the Forest of Dean Hundred League.

Played under an overcast sky with persistent spots of summer drizzle, it was a typically British evening that tested concentration as much as skill. Parkend won the toss and chose to bat, but their innings got off to a nightmare start.

Opener Luke Aldridge was dismissed in dramatic fashion, bowled first ball by a searing delivery from Liam Cottrell that crashed straight into the stumps. It was a nightmare start for Parkend, with Aldridge walking off for a golden duck before he’d had a chance to settle.

Charlie Scharneck looked the most composed of the Parkend batters, striking a measured 34 before a mix-up with Ryan Mann led to an avoidable run-out. Mann, however, made up for it with a composed half-century, scoring 52 to anchor Parkend’s innings.

Wickets continued to fall around him, with Archie James, Robbie Jones and captain Robbie Moore all departing cheaply. Moore became the second Parkend batter to fall for a golden duck, bowled by Safseer Puthuparambil in the final overs. As he left the field, Moore joked: "I couldn’t let Luke have all the glory – seemed only fair to join him on a duck."

Parkend’s 123 for 6 was boosted by 28 extras, with the batters otherwise struggling to accelerate. Cinderford’s bowling was sharp and disciplined. Cottrell (2 for 21) and Safseer (2 for 14) both took key wickets, while Steve Skelton also chipped in with one.

In reply, Cinderford batted sensibly in the early stages. Daniel Kibble made 14 before falling to Robbie Jones, and Mitchell Scorer was caught in the deep by Ryan Mann for 7, trying to clear the ropes off Charlie Scharneck. But from there, Josh Edwards took charge of the chase.

Edwards played the anchor role brilliantly, reaching an unbeaten 50, and was well supported by Kuwait Theivendran (21) and Jack Cook (9 not out). Scharneck offered some resistance with the ball, finishing with 2 for 16 from his 15 balls, but it wasn’t enough to halt Cinderford’s progress.

Cinderford reached their target with 14 balls to spare, finishing on 124 for 3 to seal a comfortable seven-wicket win.

Parkend will reflect on key dismissals, miscommunication, and a few too many extras. For Cinderford, it was another efficient outing in their pursuit of Hundred League success.

The result keeps Cinderford St John at the top of the table with 14 points from eight games, having won seven. Monmouth sit in second place on 12 points, followed by Ruardean Hill on 10. Parkend remain bottom without a win from seven matches and will be hoping to break their duck before the season’s end.

Elsewhere in the league, Ruardean Hill kept up their push for a top-two finish with a convincing 65-run win over Goodrich. After choosing to bat, Ruardean posted 149 for 3 from their 100 balls before bowling Goodrich out for just 84.