Dorset beat Wales to set up the showdown in Wiltshire

DORSET 228-3 (2 runs) beat WALES NC 220 (70 runs) by seven wickets

DORSET kept alive their faint hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the NCCA Trophy with a seven-wicket victory over Wales at Wimborne.

Luke Webb’s charges must now beat Group Four leaders Wiltshire in their final game on Sunday (11am) to have any chance of qualification.

Dorset came into the Wales game having lost both of their opening games comprehensively against Cheshire and Hertfordshire.

But right from the start, they were on pace in this contest as Wales’ decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired.

READ MORE: Hertfordshire beat Dorset by six wickets – report

Seamer Matt Burton (2-39) needed just three balls to make the breakthrough when he had Ollie Meadows (0) caught at slip by Jacob Gordon.

Thomas Varney (1-39) then struck in the next over to remove Morgan Bevans, who bowled behind.

Wales steadied the ship through Steffan Roberts and Brad Wadlan (35) but Dorset’s spinners got down to business.

David Scott (3-43) tore apart the middle order, leaving Roberts to rebuild again. He did so with aplomb, forming a solid 72-run partnership with Tegid Phillips (27) for the sixth wicket.

When Finn Gordon (1-20) removed the latter, Roberts (100) was on the verge of a well-deserved hundred, helping the visitors recover from 6-2 down.

And brought it up with a single from Burton, to widespread applause from a healthy Leaze crowd,

Last week’s centurion Jacob Gordon had the last laugh as Roberts perished two balls after reaching triple figures, stumped by Alex Eckland.

Number 11 Ben Morris collected three wickets as Wales’ tail faltered but departed to Gordon (2-36) as Wales were dismissed for 227.

On a pitch as friendly as Wimborne, Dorset were hot favorites to chase down the total and so it proved.

A close start saw Dorset progress 8-0 in the seventh before Jacob Gordon (6) was caught by Adam Sylvester (1-38).

It was mostly plain sailing after that as Dorset controlled the required run rate.

Webb scored 42 as Dorset moved to 80-1 in the 21st over before their skipper was bowled by Alex Russell (1-37).

The conditions were still in Dorset’s favor as Scott (53) hit a half-century before the hosts stepped up.

Scott’s dismissal of Phillips (1-41) brought Alex Eckland into the fold and he stroked an unbeaten 53 from 43 balls to get Dorset to victory, along with a mature 63 not out out of Finn Gordon.