The new, improved Paultons side made it four wins from six games with a four-wicket success over Fair Oak.

And they did it despite losing the toss and being asked to field.

Stand-in Paultons skipper Jamie Cooper opened the bowling with Tony Richman and both bowled tight lines, regularly finding the edge of the openers' bats, but had no luck as chances didn't go to hand.

After 15 overs Fair Oak, when had reached a steady 58 without loss, Cooper made a double change by bringing on John Robinson and Touqeer Iqbal.

And it brought instant success when T Hockenhull was well caught, low down, by Chris Ray at square leg for 19.

Opener Tony Oxley was joined by son Ryan but Oxley junior played on to give Robinson his first wicket.

Cooper then made an inspired change by bringing Andy Denney on from the far end to replace Iqbal and again brought an instant result by having Oxley senior out lbw for 48.

At the halfway mark Fair Oak were 88 for 3.

Robinson (1 for 24) and Denney (1 for 22) bowled with great control and guile, unchanged for their allotted ten overs.

With 12 overs remaining and the score on 140, Fair Oak had to start pushing the run rate up. It resulted in a suicidal run out and then new man Simon Price (six overs 2 for 25 ) snapped up two middle order wickets.

Cooper brought himself and Richman back on to snare a victim each but the tenth wicket just avoided them as Fair Oak finished on 188 for 9 with captain Shane Freemantle on 51no.

All the Paultons bowlers stuck to the game plan of bowling the right lines, conceding only 11 wides.

Paultons' run chase didn't get off to the best of starts when Colin James was caught behind off G Stewart in the second over.

Robinson joined Stewart Magee who had been in a rich vein of runs over recent weeks.

Scoring wasn't easy against the young, new ball bowlers. In the tenth over, Robinson went the same way as James for only eight with the score on 32. Magee was then bowled around his legs for 12 and Paultons were in a match at 50 for 3 from 17 overs.

Tony Richman and new man Chris Ray pulled it back with a partnership of 65. Ray hit a return catch back to bowler A Francis for an impressive 20 but Touqeer Iqbal (17) forced the run rate along when he joined Richman.

Both batsman produced some inventive stroke play to lay on 50 runs in eight overs and the assault took away the little glimmer of hope Fair Oak had of causing an upset.

Both lost their wicket with 28 runs needed for the win but the steady influence of skipper, Cooper and Lee Wateridge once again steered The Paults' home with four overs remaining and four wickets intact.

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