Openers lay the foundation then bowlers finish the job

Although the in-form Tom Nightingale threatened to take the game away from them as he raced to another brisk half-century early in the run chase, Cobo paid the price for none of their remaining Island players going on to make a match-winning contribution on a day when four of their regular top six were absent.

Instead, Luke Bichard, Adam Martel and Adeesha Yapa shone with the ball in the glorious sunshine to skittle out the opposition inside 35 overs when they were chasing a testing 40-over target of 193.

With injury and unavailability accounting for skipper Ollie Nightingale, opener Charlie Birch, Zak Damarell and Ben Ferbrache, Cobo needed a couple of substantial partnerships if they were to emerge victorious.

They got one after the remaining Nightingale joined Josh Butler following the early loss of Sean Donaldson to a fine Bichard delivery.

The second-wicket pair added 81 in little more than 10 overs with Nightingale hitting the ball typically hard in reaching 59 from just 45 balls with half-a-dozen fours and a couple of sixes.

But when Yapa accounted for him during an impressive spell, it sparked the loss of three big wickets for just 11 runs with Butler and Will Peatfield also succumbing to the spinner.

Dec Martel and Alex Bushell managed to halt the Griffins momentum for a while, but captain Tom Kirk still had overs from Bichard and Adam Martel up his sleeve, which proved crucial.

Martel’s quicker ball rushed through his namesake and that was the catalyst for the last six wickets to fall in seven overs as the pink-and-blacks ran through the lower order to wrap up what proved to be a convincing 24-run win.

Earlier, the Griffins openers had laid the foundations for a total well in excess of 200, but the hoped-for acceleration did not fully materialise.

The century first-wicket stand saw two batters in contrasting form in the initial stages as Nathan Le Tissier looked in good nick from the off while Matt Philp took time to move through the gears, having been stuck in neutral before getting off the mark in the eighth over.

By that stage Le Tissier had already notched a couple of nice boundaries off Peatfield, one clipped down to fine leg and the other driven forcefully through mid-off.

The Griffins pair saw their side to the midway drinks break without loss, having put on 73 with Le Tissier just one short of 50, a milestone which he deservedly brought up in the first over after the resumption.

He looked a good bet to double his tally until he unerringly picked out the boundary rider Tom Veillard with an aerial pull shot off Kieran Le Gallez.

Le Tissier had hit seven fours and a lovely pick-up six in his 70 made from 82 balls.

One quickly brought two and Adam Martel fell just two balls later while Kirk was the third of Le Gallez’s victims in his following over as Griffins lost three for the addition of just 10 runs.

As the innings entered the final 10 overs, the batting side needed to up the ante, but with more risk came more wickets.

In the same over as Philp reached his half-century, brought up by a six off his 93rd delivery, he was dragged out of his crease by Veillard and Bushell did the rest.

Bichard looked good in contributing 32 from just 21 balls with a positive approach, but the remaining incoming batters had little time to play themselves in and Peatfield found the required accuracy to pick up five wickets in his second spell, including two in the last over, to keep Griffins under 200.

At the College Field, Wanderers-Irregulars beat Elizabeth College by 14 runs.

WIs posted 187 all out with Lucas Barker making 69 while Harry Johnson took six wickets. EC fell to 174 all out with Ollie Clapham top-scorer on 45.