CHESHIRE captain Andy Hall paid a glowing tribute to his side as they kept their Championship Final dreams alive with a thrilling victory over Wales MC at Abergavenny.

The visitors left Wales 262 for victory off 55 overs, but tight bowling from Dave Pennett (4-32) and left-arm spinner Robin Fisher (3-50) made sure Cheshire took full points from a fine contest in South Wales.

Pennett also weighed in with a half-century - his f irst for his county - while Simon Renshaw contributed 32 as Hall's men were dismissed for 187 in their second innings.

But their target was to prove too much for Wales, who remain bottom of the table, as Cheshire moved into second place and must now beat Shropshire in their last match (Au-gust 17-19) to stand a chance of making this year's showcase final.

'I'm delighted with the way we played,' said Hall, whose side remain unbeaten in the Western Division this season. 'It was a great performance to bowl them out twice and we knew we had to dangle the carrot a little if they were going to chase the runs.

'All the bowlers worked really hard and got their just rewards. All we can do now is worry about ourselves and make sure we beat Shropshire - we can't afford to worry about Berkshire.' Indeed, with Berkshire winning at Wilt-shire off the last over of the game, they have managed to maintain a slender advantage.

But full points for Cheshire in their last match would mean their fellow title-chasers would have to perform well to f inish top.

Cheshire team: Andrew Hall (Captain), Alexis Twigg, Simon Marshall, Richard Hignett, Nafees Din, Jason Whittaker, Simon Renshaw, Dave Pennett, Ian Spencer (Wicketkeeper), Barney Cutbill, Robin Fisher.

Cheshire 1st innings: 357 all out, 97 overs (A Hall 175, S Renshaw 65, R Hignett 45, O Hopkins 4-84, O Dawkins 4-50).

Wales MC 1st innings: 283 all out (N Sweat-man 39, A Jones 36, S Marshall 2-28, D Pennett 2-40).

Cheshire 2nd innings: 187 all out (D Pennett 50 not out, S Renshaw 32, A Twigg 26, O Dawkins 5-38, A Touse 3-55).

Wales MC 2nd innings: 178 all out (A Touse 48, D Pennett 4-32, R Fisher 3-50).