SWANAGE Cricket Club’s second XI narrowly missed out on promotion for the fourth season in a row.

The side continued their quest for promotion from the competitive Division Four at Martinstown and elected to bat first after winning the toss on Saturday, August 31.

Some hostile seam bowling reduced the visitors to 43-4, but an 82-run partnership from Tom Rutherford and Matt Beard helped wrestle back some momentum to Swanage.

Rutherford scored a sparkling 60, including 10 boundaries, but when he and Beard were dismissed in quick succession, the latter for a fluent 35, the innings was in the balance at 159-7.

An enterprising half century partnership between Jon Gregory and Phil Eades pulled Swanage to a respectable 209-7 off their 40 overs.

Gregory hit a brilliant run-a-ball 40 and Eades smashed 20, giving the bowlers something to bowl at.

But as the second innings was about to get underway, news filtered through that Swanage’s rivals for promotion had already won, meaning they would narrowly miss out on promotion once again.

In response to Swanage’s total, the hosts raced to 63-0, primarily thanks to ex-Dorset player Ed Nichols.

Harry Goldsack and Harry Long put the brakes on the hosts’ innings, reducing them to 94-3.

Nichols was eventually dismissed for a run-a-ball 77 by Andrew Hancock’s flighted off-breaks, leaving the home side on 147-5 and the game in the balance once again.

But a lower order rally from the hosts saw them reach their target on the penultimate ball of the game, despite the efforts of Mike Nash and Ethan Stacey, for the loss of six wickets.

Also on Saturday, the first XI played host to Martinstown and succumbed to a convincing defeat, despite wickets for James Harding and Lily Wood.

The side finished fourth our of six in Premier Division Two.

Swanage’s third XI travelled to Puddletown for their final Division Five fixture and also lost convincingly, finished a respectable sixth out of 10 sides in the league.