Dugar's devastating burst puts an end to Wellesbourne's unbeaten start

Dugar’s spell of five wickets for no runs in the space of three overs took out Wellesbourne’s entire middle order as they went in pursuit of their hosts’ 231 for seven in the Cotswold Hills Premier Division clash.

Tom Shearsby (71 not) joined opener David Barnett with the innings in disarray at 47 for seven and the pair steadily added 80 until Barnett fell to a spectacular one-handed catch by David Lord.

It was a critical moment but Wellesbourne were not finished yet and Shearsby rallied the tail to add a further 53 before Lord struck again to dismiss Abbott with wicket-keeper Matt Dale both catching and stumping the batsman from the same ball to bring the innings to a close on 179.

Earlier, a 28-over opening stand of 139 between Wayne Killian (83) and James Cowan (56) had got the Leamington innings off to a flying start.

Following the dismissal of the opening pair, Tom Stephenson and Andy Kerrigan got a tight grip on the run rate and it needed some lusty blows from man-of-the-match Dugar (37 not) to push the run rate beyond five an over.

Despite the defeat, Wellesbourne chairman Phil Rothwell is hoping to boost the club’s playing squad and attract new members when it hosts its ECB Open Day this weekend.

The ECB Club Open Days initiative, supported by Waitrose, is a nationwide programme that aims to help boost grassroots cricket participation by encouraging cricket clubs to open their pavilion doors and welcome guests from their local community for a day of cricket taster sessions and activities.

This summer more than a 1,000 clubs will host a Club Open Day nationwide, with Wellesbourne putting on theirs on Sunday.

The club is inviting local shops and other businesses to form six-a-side teams and contest a tournament which will start at 10am, while a barbeque will run all day.

Rothwell is keen to tap into the village’s new residents and entice them to the club.

“Club cricket across the board is struggling to keep hold of its members once they have other things to do in life,” he said.

“But we’ve have had a lot of new residents move into the area and it’s a real aim of ours to showcase the club to them and try and get them through the door.

“Our junior section is thriving and a lot of the parents become social members, but it’s all about making sure they stick with us.

“We’re hoping to get as many new people involved on the day, so come down, bring the family and have fun.”

Clubs taking part enjoy a £100 food and drink offer from Waitrose to help deliver their event and Rothwell is keen to put on a good show and emphasis the social side of the game.

“We’re hoping for about 150 to 200 people and that would really open us up to a new audience,” he said.

“Cricket is a great game and we’re a very social club, throwing different kinds of events.

“We have had quite a few members leave us this year so there is room for more and we hope the open day will help us find some.”

For more information about Club Open Days, supported by Waitrose, including a full list of clubs registered, visit ecb.co.uk/clubopendays