Richard Morris’s stylish knock guided Bashley (Rydal) to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Premier Division newcomers Sarisbury Athletic, who suffered a fourth successive defeat..

Morris came to the wicket with Bashley in a spot of bother at 28-2 and cracked an unbeaten 82 as they coasted home with relative ease.

Earlier, spinners Tom Andrews (4-61) and Sam Thomson (3-61) had weaved their magic to reduce Sarisbury to 104-8 before a rain break checked Bashley’s momentum.

Earlier and before the initial rains came, Sarisbury stuttered to 43-4 (Ricky Rawlins 20), but were revived by Basil Akram (38), who had just returned from Loughborough University to take up the second season of a development contract at the Ageas Bowl.

Akram and left-hander Jack Lovett (16) doubled the Sarisbury score before both parted in quick succession – the Bashley spin pair taking four wickets for seven runs as the total lurched to 104-8.

Following another weather delay, David Banks (38) and Dan Goldstraw (27) shared an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 65 as the visitors to the BCG rallied to close on 169-8. .

Nick Baker and Luke Webb both fell cheaply as the Bashley reply started unconvincingly, while Michael Porter escaped after Kieran Geyle had spilled a dolly catch in the slips.

Morris punished anything short of a length and put the Sarisbury attack to the sword by regularly peppering the boundary with some brutal hitting, striking two sixes and 11 fours.

He shared 90 for the third wicket with Porter (41) before both he and Andrews (26) remained undefeated as Bashley cosily reached 172-3.