Minster kept up the pace at the top of Kent League Division 3 with their third consecutive win batting second, this time by three wickets against Linden Park.

Nathan Nicol took 3-30 and James White added 2-42 as the home side restricted Park to 160-8 from their 50 overs.

Opener Mark Tucker (pictured right) cracked 48 and Andy Hosken (22) and Craig O’Donaghue (23) made contributions as Minster reached their target in 47.2 overs.

Minster were trounced by Bickley Park in the group quarter-finals of the ECB National Club Championship on Sunday.

The Division 3 side were crushed by 235 runs by their Premier Division counterparts.

Minster won the toss and put the visitors in to bat at Gilbert Hall but they had no answer to opener Nick Oldridge who smashed six sixes and 26 fours in an astonishing innings of 189 from 133 balls, before he was finally run-out by Kevin Barker.

Oldridge’s knock helped Park to score at almost nine runs an over and they eventually closed on 391-4 from 45 overs.

Minster’s reply did not start well as they were reduced to 10-2 when openers Mark Tucker and George Duggan departed.

Mike Rees steadied the ship with 25 and Barker made 43 from 20 balls including two sixes and six fours.

However, only three other batsman made double figures as Park dismissed them for just 156 inside 34 overs, with Jim Lincoln taking 4-28.

More cricket in this week's Sheerness Times Guardian