A BRILLIANT spell by opening bowler Ted Murrell was the key to Minehead's five-wicket win over Cheddar in Division Two on Saturday.

In his first nine overs Ted sent six of Cheddar's main batsmen back to the pavilion at a personal cost of just 12 runs.

The overcast conditions suited his swing bowling and Cheddar were reduced to 44-7, a position from which they could never hope to adequately recover.

Chris Waelchli and skipper Roger Lord did manage to double the score for the eighth wicket, but when Lord was impressively run out by young Matthew Sully for 35 the Cheddar innings folded on 111.

Sully has also taken a difficult catch in the covers off the second ball of the innings and is becoming a useful asset in the field along with Adam Jones behind the stumps, who claimed three more victims.

In reply, with plenty of overs in which to score the runs, Minehead started briskly, but with Cheddar changing their bowlers after four or five overs each, the openers got bogged down.

Dave Lethaby tried to cut loose but was caught in the gully for 11, Stuart Tudball went quickly, and when skipper Geoff Murrell was also caught in the gully, Minehead were wavering a little at 57-3.

However, some lusty blows from Graham Mair (17) and Ted Murrell (23) took the score to 100 and Andy Dawe wrapped things up with the winning runs.

Cheddar: 111 (R Lord 35, A Murrell 6-27, D Hurley 2-34).

Minehead: 114-5 (G Murrell 38, A Murrell 23, G Mair 17, J Tullett 2-26).

Points: Minehead 24 Cheddar 5.