EVESHAM were brought down to earth with a huge bump when they visited old rivals Pershore for Saturday's Birmingham League Division Three contest.

Hostilities had been put on hold for a season following the Avon Street side's promotion but Pershore followed them from the County Lea-gue last September and appear set to make a big impression in their new surroundings.

Having picked up maximum points from their opening game, Evesham were in confident mood and they were even chirpier after openers Mark Penter and Ian Suck-ling had made a solid start after being asked to bat by Stephen Cooper.

That was about as good as it got for the visitors whose innings deteriorated after Australian Penter was caught behind by Mark Stevens who was playing his first match for Pershore in two years.

David Powles then took control with the ball and Evesham lost six wickets for the addition of 42 runs.

Suckling battled on gamely for a patient 74 but only Will Bailey managed to offer some late order resistance as the innings folded on 168 after 52 overs.

Powles returned splendid figures o 4-36 from 15 overs on what was an excellent batting track and his efforts perhaps gave Evesham some hope.

Cooper and David White had other ideas as they compiled a second successive half-century opening partnership as the platform for success was impeccably laid.

The captain finally fell for a run a ball half-century but Lee Wilks joined White and another 51 runs were comfortably accrued before the opener fell for 37.

Powles then displayed his all-round ability to help Wilks, who ended on 63 not out, add an unbroken 48 for the third wicket as Pershore cruised to an eight-wicket win with 14 overs to spare.

If that wasn't bad enough for the losers then news from Avon Street compounded the misery. Ian Stowe (74) and Marcus Humpston (60) had helped the hosts set Pershore 207 for victory on an afternoon when Lachlan McKe-nzie's figures of 6-74 ensured that the batters didn't have it all their own way.

Evesham, though, had no one to match that kind of penetration and, after a quickfire 43 from Luke Eversham, it was left to skipper Gary Stevenson to steer his side to victory with an unbeaten 88.

Chris Ridings (21) and Dave Wickersham (28) made valuable contributions as Pershore completed a profitable afternoon at the expense of their Vale foes.

There was more good news from The Bottoms where cricket development officer Trevor Ridings has passed his ECB Level Three Coa-ching Award.

Sunday provided some solace for Evesham as the first team defeated Swindon by five wickets in the Worce-stershire League with Penter (70) and Bailey (58) again in good form.