WISBECH-BORN Ed Rodgers proved to be March s match-winner, taking 4-17 before hitting 49 runs as the Tucker Gardner Division One Champions ran out comfortable six-wicket winners over their Fenland rivals. It was fourth-placed Wisbech s first defeat of th

WISBECH-BORN Ed Rodgers proved to be March's match-winner, taking 4-17 before hitting 49 runs as the Tucker Gardner Division One Champions ran out comfortable six-wicket winners over their Fenland rivals.

It was fourth-placed Wisbech's first defeat of the season.

March remain in third but moved 28 points ahead of their neighbours.

The visitors were on 112-1 and set for a big score when Rodgers stepped up to steal the show.

His first victim was the impressive James Williams, who along with county colleague and skipper Gary Freear had put Wisbech in a commanding position, with a 97-run third-wicket partnership.

But following the dismissal of Williams for 44 and Freear for 77, Wisbech were reduced to 166 all out, with none of the other batsmen making double figures.

Chris Peckett bowled in tandem with Rogers, as they shared eight wickets - Peckett finishing with 4-34.

On a good track that sort of total was never going to trouble the champions, with Rodgers falling leg before for 49 - an innings that included seven fours and two sixes. At the close Carl Chapman had raced on to 40 not out, with Steve Hinson 23 not out.

Williams took 2-56, while Ben Allsop and Craig Johnson took a wicket each for Wisbech, finishing on 1-28 and 1-38 respectively.

Yet again a promising batting start failed to lead to a match-winning innings for Doddington firsts.

Opener Kiran Brahmbhatt made 48, his son Rishi, 23, and Antony Bamford 33, but this was not enough to stop Doddington falling 62 runs short of their target as they were dismissed for 150 in 38.2 overs in their CCA Senior Division One match against St. Ives.

K. Sequenza took 5-28 for St. Ives.

Earlier St. Ives had made 211-9, with R. Williams scoring 90 and S. Jones 74 not out. Ivan Burgess was Doddington's most influential bowler, taking 4-47 from 10 overs. Rishi Brahmbhatt took two wickets.

City of Ely were no match for March second team, with off-spinner Richard Green producing superb figures of 5-27 and inspiring his team to a 10-wicket win in the CCA Senior League Division Two at Ely's Paradise Ground.

A much-depleted batting order had little to offer for the home side, as Stuart Arnold and Nigel Wright did the initial damage before Green took over.

Ely were shot out for 127, which was never going to be enough, especially when James Hilliard plundered 11 boundaries in his 66 not out.

Jon Kaberry hit 34 not out and Ely could really have done without 30 extras to add to their woes.

Clive Dove's solid 58 helped Doddington's second team go second in CCA League 3A on Saturday with a 47-run victory at home to neighbours Wimblington firsts.

Doddington made 167-7 with Dove well supported by Ben Pyle's 45 not out, Martyn Bentley's 24 and Martin Bamford's 17 not out.

M. Woodhall took 3-33 from eight overs for Wimblington, and Adrian Bussey and M. Imran picked up two wickets apiece.

Five wickets from Bob Burgess, in a 10-over spell where only 12 runs were conceded, saw Wimblington dismissed for just 125 in 34 overs.

Burgess' spell included four maidens, while Pyle took 2-22 in seven overs.

R. Holmes and Imran both scored 29 for the visitors.

Grant Osbourn and Alan Pritchard put on a match-winning partnership of 86 as Chatteris second team beat Little Downham seconds by six wickets in the CCA Junior Division 4A.

Chatteris soon had their opponents reeling on 13-4 after only five overs with the strike force of John West and Ian Shinton making good work of the conditions.

Downham rallied with Mick Dewsbury hitting a valiant 54, but West mopped up and ended with a superb 5-32 off his 10 overs.

Chatteris were set a modest 121-run target but wobbled from the start, losing the top four batsmen for 35 runs.

But Osbourn and Pritchard saw them home with 41 not out and 44 not out respectively.

Despite half centuries from Stephen Wallis and Gary Nicholls, March's second team lost their first Fenland Trophy game of the season by 30 runs against a strong St Ives side at the Avenue on Sunday.

St Ives included several of their Saturday first eleven scored a commanding 222 -6.

Richard Green was the most economical bowler taking 2-13 in his eight overs.

Other wickets were taken by Richard West (2-51) and Josh Jackman (1-46).

Experienced duo Wallis, who hit six fours in his 59, and Nicholls who smashed seven fours in a 50, put March in the hunt but a flurry of late wickets left March 30 short of the target.