OULTON Park’s stumbles continued on Saturday as the defending Premier Division champions became the first side to lose to Hyde this season.

The 53-run home reverse condemned the Little Budworth boys, who have won the title in four of the last five years, to an unheard-of third straight league defeat.

To their credit, Park did make a fight of it after the previously-winless visitors seemed set to canter to victory.

The hosts simply had no answer to Cheshire star James Duffy (106no) as he hauled Hyde up to testing 285-4dec. A magnificent innings from Ben Spendlove (88) gave Park hope, but they were eventually bowled out for 232 after Tom Young (6-89) ripped through their lower order.

CHESTER BOUGHTON HALL’S ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ form goes on after they lost a high-scoring encounter at high-flying Toft.

Hall would have been confident of making it back-to-back victories for the first time this term after half-centuries from Steve Ogilby (54), Oliver Law (54no), Trevor Fabian (51) and the explosive Maroof Khan (50) enabled them to declare on 265-4.

Skipper Jim Gillson was more than satisfied with that total, but big hitting from Andrew Bones (91) and Shaun Mudalige (86no) aligned with some slack fielding ensured it was Toft who took the lion’s share of the points as they made it to 269-6 with four overs to spare.

NESTON moved further clear at the summit as they made it four wins on the spin with a three-wicket success at Bowdon.

The table-toppers, thanks to the excellent Chris Hackett (75), successfully chased down 153 (Chris Finegan 4-47) when reaching 154-7.

Iroshan de Silva made a welcome return to form as CHRISTLETON dug in to snatch a draw at home to Cheadle Hulme in Division One.

Paul Allen’s men have made a slow start to the campaign but if de Silva can build on the performance he produced on Saturday they will be confident of moving up the early standings.

Last season’s leading run-scorer in the league flayed 56 and Chris Brooks 33 as Christleton held on at 209-7 in reply to 234-5dec (Allen 2-79).

TATTENHALL were beaten at Warrington in Division Two on Saturday.

The Flacca outfit fell 59 runs short on 160 (Craig Williamson 36, John Gibbon 29) after Warrington put on 219-6 (Gary Forster 2-31, Melvin Dobson 2-64, Williamson 2-110).

Neston will meet Chester Boughton Hall in the third round of the Red Insure T20 after their two-run home win over Oxton.