A FOUR-FOR by Streetly’s Joshua Thomas ensured that Rugby slipped to a third Warwickshire County Cricket League Premier Division defeat in a row.
Rugby were unable to catch a Streetly side that finished on a 188-9 score from their innings, only managing 131 before being dismissed in 42 overs.
Batting first, Streetly were unable to manage a significant partnership until the arrival of number five Craig Moore (32), who struck up 75 runs alongside number three Akbar Ahmed (64).
By the time Ahmed was dismissed, the hosts had built a strong foundation of runs to build on at 168-5.
Jonathan Sage (4-50) had other ideas though, and picked off a number of the tailenders to keep Streetly’s score below the 200-run mark.
In reply, Rugby opened with a stand of 49 between Lee James (15) and Owen Edwards (35) to drag themselves back into contention.
What the visitors did not anticipate was the dismissal of four batsmen in the space of three overs shortly after James was trapped lbw by Thomas (4-19) for the first wicket, slipping to an 87-5 score.
While Henry Wilkins (22) and Matthew Ewer (24) offered bright sparks from the middle-to-late order, Rugby were never able to get close to threatening Streetly to lose by 57 runs.
The result means that Rugby drop to seventh in the league, ahead of a showdown at Coventry & North Warwickshire on Saturday (noon).
