A clinical performance from Dinting gave them another 20 points to remain on top of the Derbyshire and Cheshire Cricket League’s first division.

Batting first on a slowish, lowish deck, Dinting saw Hariwick and Blood progress comfortably to 100, patiently waiting for bad deliveries that were always going to come from a Birch attack that offered little threat.

Harwick reached his half-century before drinks were taken on 111-0, only to chip his next ball to mid-wicket to fall for 54.

With Birch changing the bowling at both ends, Dinting struggled for the next 10 overs with Wilson, Matt Coleman andBlood all departing.

Jared Massey and Danny Brightmore took the score from 130 to 184 with some tenacious batting.

Once they were dismissed, Sam Elliott and Gaz Gerrard did their best to put the Birch attack to the sword in the final few overs to set a target which most thought would be enough at teatime.

However, the predicted rain forecast meant that Dinting had to get in among the Birch batters from the start – and so it proved.

Harwick’s good day continued as he took a wicket in his second over LBW, and at the other end young Ped Seville gradually settled into an excellent spell of pacy seam bowling, which meant that wickets fell at a steady rate.

That gave Wilson licence to set enterprising fields, resulting in several wickets falling, to off-side fields.

This approach was greatly helped by some excellent catching, Thompson pouching two excellent ones on the run at deepish mid-off, and Wilson with a stunning one-handed diving take at short extra cover.

Before long the Birch Vale innings was in tatters, Harwick notching up 4-18 and Seville finishing with 5-21.

John Coleman then took the final wicket in his first over to bring matters to an end with the visitors all out for a meagre 44.

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