BARNARDS Green U12s put in their best display of the season against their Hanley and Upton counterparts.

Hanley batted first and, despite losing an early wicket, made steady progress with Matthews (29) and Lechmere (19) batting sensibly, aided by some erratic bowling. Richardson, Le Gros and Freeman all took a wicket as Hanley closed on 86.

The Green opted for a more aggressive approach to batting than in previous matches and were rewarded with a succession of boundaries.

Unfortunately, wickets tumbled regularly to the more accurate Hanley attack. Puffett with a controlled 17 looked to be putting his side in a position to win but his dismissal and some excellent bowling by Matthews saw the run rate prove too much for the Green. Freeman and Le Gros (21) enjoyed a late flurry but the side fell 15 runs short of Hanley's total.