CLIVE ROSEVEAR INSURANCE HAWKEY CUP FIRST-ROUND (WEDNESDAY)

Liskeard v St Minver

ST MINVER progressed through to the last eight with a 22-run victory at one-league lower Liskeard on Wednesday night.

The Grasshoppers had won their opening two league games in Division Two East and headed to Lux Park to take on a Liskeard side promoted as runners-up from Division Four last summer.

St Minver were sent in by the hosts and soon lost South African opener Reece Thompson, bowled for seven by JJ Webber.

Teenager Kieran Gill was promoted up to number three, but was soon out for five, cleaned up by Sam Rogers.

Ben Hawken (24) and captain Jonny Centini (18) helped rebuild the innings, but their score of 116-8 was made possible by 34 from Antony Ash, batting at six compared to his usual role as opener on a Saturday.

For Liskeard, all five bowlers did the job with Webber and Andrew Cobb both claiming 3-27 from their four overs.

Sam Rogers (1-19), Andrew Ware (0-19) and Matthew Wallace (1-21) were also tight in their four-over spells.

Liskeard’s batting is very top heavy, meaning the pressure was on.

And although Cobb (17) and Ware got the innings off to a steady start, once Cobb was caught by Thompson off Robert Hawken and former Callington batsman Danny Carroll, who was on debut, went for two, the run-rate continued to increase.

Ware carried his bat for an unbeaten 54, but the next best effort after Cobb was JJ Webber with just eight as St Minver’s three-man spin attack of Alek Gill (2-15), Rob Hawken (1-17) and Dean Jeffery (1-14) gave away next to nothing as the innings closed on 94-5.

St Minver will welcome neighbours Wadebridge Seconds or Lanhydrock in the quarter-final, with that tie set for Wednesday, May 15 (6.15pm).