LYDNEY claimed their first Gloucestershire Cricket League win of the season by the narrowest of margins against second-placed Apperley.

With Lydney needing points to move away from the Division One relegation zone and Apperley keen to keep in touch with leaders Tetbury, both teams agreed to sit out the early afternoon rain.

Apperley won the toss and put the home side into bat for 20 overs.

Lydney got off to the worst possible start when Alex Nelmes was bowled after facing two deliveries.

Opener Ben Ferguson and Dafydd Nicholas then hit 16 runs off the next two overs, including a couple of fours for Ferguson.

Apperley hit back claiming the wicket of Nicholas midway through the next over.

Nicholas went to a catch by former Westbury player Devin Rogers to make it 20-2.

Rogers struck again in the next set when he caught and bowled Jack Knox to make it 25-3 after 5.3 overs.

Jordan Stone went towards the end of the eighth over, bowled for 11 off 13 balls to make it 38-4.

Lydney were 49-5 when Niall Halford was bowled at the end of the 12th over.

He was replaced by Jack O’Connell whose partnership with Ferguson added another 42 runs to the Lydney total.

He hit 30 off just 20 balls, including a six in the 14th over, before being caught off the bowling of Rogers in the 17th to make it 91-6.

James Legge went to a catch with the first ball of the 19th over which was bowled by Rogers.

Ferguson, looking for every run in the final over, was run out with the third ball.

He started the run after facing a delivery from Luke Smith but the Apperley was quickly up the track and was on target with the throw.

Ferguson had scored 35 off 42 balls including three fours as Lydney set a target of 108.

O’Connell opened Lydney’s account with a wicket maiden as Ferguson caught Matt Bowyer for 17-1.

Apperley had progressed to 49-1 when Ferguson ran out Luke Smith.

Jordan Stone took two of his three wickets in the 14th to make it 63-4.

Joshua Brown was caught off the first ball by Nelmes and Matty Williams was run out.

Ferguson bowled top scorer Rogers and three balls later it was 78-7 as Andy O’Connor was run out.

Apperley then hit 11 off the rest of the over, the 18th, to make it 89-7 and leaving them to find 19 off the next two overs.

The visitors set up a nail-biting finale as they took 12 off the next over to leave them needing seven off the final set of deliveries.

There was no run off the first of Stone’s final set.

Halford took two catches with the next couple of balls to make it 101-9.

There was no run off the fourth but the fifth was wide.

Stone then delivered a dot ball and Jack Bilsby could only make two off the last to leave Apperley three runs short.