Minster won a tough weekend encounter in the Kent Cricket League Premier Division and face a crucial series of games coming up.

Beating Tunbridge Wells by two runs on Saturday leaves Minster 23 points clear at the top of the table and they host defending champions Lordswood this weekend.

Minster follow that with a trip to St Lawrence & Highland Court on July 6, followed by a home game against Blackheath. Those next three opponents are currently sitting second, third and fourth respectively in the table.

“The ones against teams around you are always the key ones aren’t they?” said captain David Masters.

“We have to be beating those teams.

“It’s good if we can get a bit of breathing space ahead of those teams behind us for those days where we do have a bad day or one that’s rained off.

“If someone said you’d be 23 points ahead at this stage you would have ripped their hand off but cricket is a funny old game, if you take your eye off it for a split second you can all of a sudden be 24 points behind and chasing.

“We would rather be here than chasing anyone and if we can stay out in front and keep this going that would be brilliant.”

The game against Lordswood will be a big one for Minster’s Chatham-born captain who spent many years at Lordswood during his time as a professional cricketer.

He said: “The last game was probably our hardest of the year and this is going to be another hard one. It’s always hard against Lordswood.

“Lots of us are ex-Lordswood players, they will desperately want to beat us, there is that local rivalry and we always like to have a good game against them.

“I imagine it will be a lively game, a few words said, a few entertaining moments, and that’s all part and parcel, it’s a derby game. They will be desperate to stop us from getting too far ahead of the pack.”

Against Tunbridge Wells, Minster were put into bat and posted 236-8. In reply, the hosts were all out for 234.

Masters said: “We probably had the worst of the wicket, it did a bit early on and it was hard work throughout our batting, we got stuck in and on the wicket we were on at the time it was a good score.

“The wicket did seem to flatten out and it turned into a really good game. We had to work really hard to get the win.

“I thought it would be our hardest game of the season so far and to be fair to them they were missing two or three of their top players as well. They played really well.

“It was one of those days where if you want to win the league those are the games you have to win.”

Masters and Dan Stickels put on 109 for the first wicket while James Thompson added 41. Wells were always under pressure chasing a big total and the returning Daniel Masters made a difference, taking 4-40.

Daniel Masters has recovered from a back injury and took the place of Max Luckett, who played for the 2nds.

The captain added: “Dan came back into the team and it proved to be a good decision. He probably won us the game, getting four wickets.”

Minster’s senior side backed up Saturday’s league success with two KCL Twenty20 wins on Sunday.

They beat The Mote by seven wickets after chasing down 78-7 in 12.5 overs and Quinn Sunde’s 69 not out led them to another seven-wicket win to see off Dartford.

Saturday’s game against Lordswood at Gilbert Hall gets under way at 12pm.