MALVERN College lost by six wickets to their nearby rivals Cheltenham College on Saturday despite a sterling performance by their all-rounder, Ollie Griffiths.

CHELTENHAM COLLEGE v MALVERN COLLEGE

Malvern batted first on the beautifully appointed but slow Festival wicket at Cheltenham and by losing eight wickets before lunch effectively conceded the match.

But for a glorious half hour, when Griffiths was peppering the nearby road with a succession of mighty blows, Malvern dared to hope all might be different. Griffiths' 50, comprised almost exclusively of boundaries, even brought applause from his opponents but no one else reached double figures, save the stubborn Wright who blocked for 14. Malvern's total of 98 was woefully inadequate.

Nonetheless, Griffiths this time with the ball thought otherwise and he made the Cheltenham batsmen work hard for the runs, taking two wickets and having two dropped as well, as the inevitable result unfolded.

It's not often that a team that is comprehensively outplayed provides the man of the match.