SHRIVENHAM were consigned to back-to-back league Oxfordshire Cricket Association League Division Four defeats by a superior Combe side at the Rec on Saturday.

Combe emerged comfortable victors after putting 238 on the board, but Charlie Ward and Scott Valentine kept the home side interested until the dying moments of the chase.

Combe took the obvious decision to bat first and although they lost star man Robbie Nicholson to Manoj Perera in the second over, Mark Westerby and Chris Moore batted sensibly, the latter falling with the score at 55.

Scott Valentine bowled well on his return, but Westerby and number four Chris Thompson added 148 as Thompson blazed his way to a maiden century with 13 fours and six sixes before falling for 81 as the visitors lost just four wickets.

Shrivenham knew they could afford to take their time in the chase and reached 23 from 10 overs.

However, three successive wickets for the impressive Mike Eeley undid their good work and left Matt Haywood and Alex Bowles at the crease with 25 on the board.

The pair added a sharp 72, but Shrivenham subsided to 104-5.

Ward and Valentine batted beautifully to give their side hope as they brought the target under 50, at 10 an over, with a partnership of 102.

But it proved just too much as Ward fell for a brilliant 69 and Valentine followed for 34.

Eeley finished the innings clinically, bowling Nathan Uzzell, Richard Deacon and Georgia Brown for fine figures of 7-47.