EATON Socon grabbed a much-needed first win of the season at Bluntisham, in a match where winning the toss proved key. Socon posted a score of 234-4 to put themselves in a strong position on a changing wicket. The developing pitch made scoring more diffic

EATON Socon grabbed a much-needed first win of the season at Bluntisham, in a match where winning the toss proved key.

Socon posted a score of 234-4 to put themselves in a strong position on a changing wicket.

The developing pitch made scoring more difficult as the match went on, and Bluntisham struggled to reach their target, falling to 146 all out.

Socon captain Paul Field expressed his relief at getting a win on the board.

"It has been long overdue, so it's good to finally get a win," he said.

"We haven't batted well this season, but I was pleased with the way the batsmen backed up my decision to bat first after I'd won the toss.

"They knuckled down to the task and we really did boss the game - as it went on, it became harder to score and my bowlers wrapped up a good win."

The loss for Bluntisham means that their bright start to the season is now a distant memory.

It was their fifth defeat in a row, after a promising opening to the season which yielded two wins and two draws from the first four games.

Bluntisham skipper Andrew Hunter recognised the value of winning the toss.

"It was certainly a 'bat first' wicket - but we didn't do ourselves any favours in the field.

We left the batsmen too much to do after a bad start with the bat," he said.

After winning the toss, Eaton Socon openers Terry Day (64) and Barry Cavilla (52) provided a great base to build on, and dominated the Bluntisham opening bowling attack.

Carl Baker (45*) kept the score ticking over and when James Storey (26*) joined him they added the finishing touches to a match-winning total of 234-4.

Only Graham Parks (3-69) looked likely to break the dominance of the Socon batsmen, but in reality they looked in control for most of the innings.

Bluntisham needed a positive start but their reply self-destructed almost immediately as Steve Dighton (0) and Andrew Hunter (2) were quickly back in the pavilion, barely troubling the scoreboard.

Darren Fordham (25) and Jon Collen (19) tried in vain to shore up the damage and give the innings some substance but both fell, leaving the tail exposed. It was only a late flurry from Howard Matteson (21*) and Alan Potter (23) that took them to 146 all out.

Eaton Socon had Dominic Marchant (5-38) in superb form with the ball and he asked questions of the home side. Baker (4-50) swapped bat for ball, and also proved a good foil for Marchant as they ran through the Bluntisham batsmen to wrap up a much-needed victory.