LYDNEY made the trip home from the Cotswolds on Saturday (July 16) having been defeated for the first time this season in Division Two of the Gloucestershire County League.

Great Rissington also have the distinction of being the first side to bowl out the leaders this season.

There were strong performances by Jordan Stone who claimed three wickets and scored 27 runs and Dafydd Nicholas who took two wickets and scored 34.

The visitors elected to field and made early progress with the top order.

Alex Antoine caught Giles Wellman for eight off the bowling of Alex Gooding and Antoine persuaded Will Marchant to hit a high one that was caught by Callum Miller when the batsman was on 14.

Niall Holford was on target to run out Luke Hope for a single.

The key wicket was that of Mitchell Thomas who the Lydney bowlers could not dislodge.

He finished the innings with 92 not out, contributing more than half of his side’s runs.

Stone claimed the first of his wickets when he bowled wicketkeeper George Garrett for two.

Dafydd Nicholas took two wickets without conceding run with James Seagrave going leg before and Tom Webley caught by Antoine.

Rex Chiles went to the bowling of Stone for two and Michael Scarrott went the same way for 11.

Alex Hope went lbw to Miller for 13.

Set a target of 182, Lydney made an uncharacteristicly sluggish start.

James Bishop was caught for four and Alex Nelmes was bowled for 15.

Nicholas was the top scorer for the visitors with his 34 before he was bowled.

Alex Gooding and Alex Antoine both went for five runs with captain Gooding being bowled and Antoine going to a catch.

There was fire in the lower order with Stone contributing 27 before being bowled and Matthew Aldridge an impressive 32.

Wicketkeeper Aldridge was run out as Lydney chased the target with the result on a knife edge.

Niall Holford and Jack O’Connell both went to catches. Holford went for one and O’Connell for four.

The last two Lydney batsmen, Ellis Boughton and Callum Miller made a valiant effort to cross the line with Boughton eventually going to a catch for 15 and Miller not out on four with Lydney 20 runs shy of the target.

Lydney picked up seven points and they remain 33 points clear at the top of the table, ahead of Langford, who beat Redmarley by four wickets to leapfrog the Forest side into second place in Division Two.