THE Groves fell to defeat in their mid-table tussle at Sandbach on Saturday.

The hosts claimed a 78-run victory in the TACS Partnership Cheshire League Division Three encounter.

A fine score of 83 by Tom Coppenhall formed the backbone of the Sandbach innings after they won the toss and opted to bat first.

Opener Ross Kesteven (47) had got the scoreboard moving, while Jack Taylor (18no) and Sam Bollan (24) added runs further down the order as Sandbach finished on 207ao.

Michael Piercy bagged 3-40 for Groves, while Joshua Cummings (2-19) returned economic figures while Martin Flanagan bagged 2-48.

The Groves’ reply started badly when Laurence Bowyer dismissed openers Nick Brimble (5) and Mike Garvey (3) cheaply.

Flanagan came in at number three and scored 60, but Darren Green (29) was the only other batsman to offer significant support as Groves were bowled out for 129. Bowyer proved to be a thorn in their side, ending with 5-22 from 10.2 overs.

The Groves host Disley on Saturday.