CALLINGTON’S title hopes in this season’s Cornwall Cricket League Premier Division suffered another telling blow as they were downed by six wickets at home to Grampound Road.

The visitors produced their best performance of the season so far at Moores Park, taking it to their rivals from the outset with a performance that many would not have predicted beforehand.

As it was, the Roadies were outstanding with the ball, reducing Callington – who had lost to Penzance the previous week – to 120 all out.

Opening bowler Lewis Sanders set the tone, claiming the wickets of openers Liam Lindsay for a duck and skipper Aidan Libby for 10. And it would get no better for Callington who then saw Matt Thompson bowled by Dan Ferris for nine, before the visitors claimed the prized wicket of Chris Dent for 18.

At 48-4, Callington needed to find a response of sorts. Thankfully, Matt Whalley was at hand, striking the ball to all four corners, but as wickets tumbled around him, it was a brave effort that ended in vain. He top-scored with 41, which included five fours and a six.

Tom Fox-Dean was the pick of the visiting bowlers with three for 20, but there were two apiece for Sanders and Ravi Karunarathna.

In reply, Grampound’s chase got off to a disastrous start as openers Harry Phillips and Jake Preston exited without troubling the scorers, while Alex Lean didn’t fare much better with just four to his name.

However, an unbeaten 62 from skipper Tom Orpe and 53 from Harry Gregory secured their third win of the season.

Penzance continue to lead the way at the top of the table after they bagged a four-wicket win at St Just.

The hosts batted first – totaling 155 all out, which included 54 for Neil Curnow and 38 for Ellis May – but it was never going to be enough to hold the leaders at bay.

Tom Dinnis (3-23) and Alex Ridd (3-24) did much of the damage with the ball, before opener Jack Paull (42) and Ollie Rayner (35) teamed up to lay the foundations for their latest success.

Wadebridge are six points behind Penzance at the summit following their eight-wicket success at home to St Austell.

Callum Wilson produced a destructive spell as he tore into the Saints higher order. Having bagged openers Gianluca Longo and Rowan Taplin, he would later snare skipper Alex Bone and overseas star Nadeera Balasuriya on his way to finishing with four for 27.

Although Wadebridge lost openers Charlie McLachlan and Lachlan Crump cheaply, unbeaten knocks from Matt Rowe (33no) and Matt Robins (43no) guided them to success.

Werrington are third after they claimed a tense two-run victory over Redruth that went right to the wire at Ladycross.

Mark Gribble’s 105 – which included 14 boundaries – helped Werrington post a creditable total of 222 for seven in their 50 overs.

Reds skipper Liam Norwell (3-19) was the pick of their attack, before Attyab Ahmad (72) and Ellis Whiteford (43) led their reply. Both looked classy at the crease, but with wickets falling around them, it set up a tense finale. In the end, Werrington just held firm thanks in the main to Sam Hockin (4-35), Paul Smith (3-35) and Mark Taskis (2-38).

In the day’s other game, Camborne claimed maximum reward from their two-wicket win at Helston.