ADRIAN Stenner and Brandon Handley blasted a club record opening partnership as Lechlade shredded the challenge of visiting Purton in the Wiltshire Division.

Stenner bludgeoned 138 while 19-year-old South African Handley crashed a barely less impressive 127, as the pair clocked up 247 between them.

Those knocks helped propel the league leaders to 370 in 45 overs, and when basement outfit Purton were dismissed for 66 in reply, the emphatic 304-run triumph was confirmed.

The Lechlade total gave them their highest ever competitive score as well as their biggest winning margin, while Handley, at 699, has the most runs in the entire West of England Cricket League.

Lechlade chairman Paul Rowley admitted it had been a stunning performance by his team’s two openers, but added that despite his pride at the records tumbling, he felt sympathy for Purton.

“Adrian Stenner smashed it everywhere and Brandon Handley batted beautifully as well,” said Rowley.

“It was pretty brutal stuff. Our two best players batted out of their skins, there’s no point saying otherwise.

“But I’m not gloating because Purton are rebuilding and they are in a difficult season.

“I’m a big fan of theirs and Mark Gardner is a fabulous captain - it’s not nice when you’re on the end of that.”

After Stenner and Handley’s heroics, captain Paul Godding (39) and Kieran Gandhi (24 not out) were the main contributors to the hosts’ innings.

For Purton, Matthew Francis and Joe Dunn took two wickets each.

Then Ross Jeffels set to work with the ball for Lechlade and ended the match with stunning figures of 7-25 in just short of 13 overs.

Gardner was bowled for just four and Chris Newman was caught for a duck by Jay Goddard, also off the bowling of Jeffels.

Paul Godding claimed the wicket of Purton’s highest scorer, Elliot Hill, for 16, while Anthony Pettifer accounted for Alex Tatara-Mills and Francis for low totals.

But otherwise it was all about Jeffels, with the Lechlade man also taking out Aaron Lee, Farhaan Khan, Glenn Franklin and Dale Bowler.

The end result of the weekend’s fixtures is that Lechlade hold a slender advantage over second-placed Goatacre, with Winsley far from out of the race for the single promotion spot in third.

And Rowley added: “We’re in a similar position to Goatacre in that we’ve only lost one game, but it’s a pretty brutal league.

“Conceivably we could win 14 games and someone else could still get promoted. But we’re just going from week to week and hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”

Elsewhere in the division at the weekend, Nationwide House were beaten by 109 runs at Devizes.