THREE wickets each for Chris Keywood and Paul Franklin helped propel Ross CC to a comfortable six-wicket win over Woolhope 2nds to keep their Herefordshire South 9 promotion hopes alive.

Third-placed Ross will need a favour from fourth-placed Woolhope this Saturday though against second-placed Canon Frome, while the Wyesiders must beat Bartestree & Lugwardine 4ths at home.

Ross won the toss and put Woolhope in to bat, with Keywood and Herefordshire Women's skipper Chloe Tingle dismissing the openers for one and two respectively.

And by the time Keywood struck twice again, alongside a wicket for Sachin Anil, the visitors were rocking with five down for just 30 off the bat.

Henry Hellyar with 28 provided some resistance, but none of the last five batters could reach double figures as Franklin wiped up the tail assisted by Will Brookes with two wickets, and Woolhope all out for 89 in 36.3 overs.

In reply, Ross needed just 19.5 overs to race to 90-4, Franklin scoring 19, Richard Jeffreys 13, Lewis Mallon 14 and Muhammed Noufal Fazaludeen 17 not out.

Elsewhere, Goodrich 1sts opener James O'Brien fired 58 as they beat Gloucestershire 5 rivals Down Hatherley by 62 runs at home after setting a target of 173-9 off 40 overs, Harry Porter also scoring 28 and Sam Griffiths 21.

Matt Young and Alex Parker then took three wickets apiece, backed by single strikes for O'Brien, Neil Price, Jack Lewis and a Porter run out, as the visitors were all out for 111 in 33 overs, leaving Goodrich sixth.

Huntley 1sts went top of Gloucestershire 7A with a 132-run away win over Stanway 1sts.

Skipper Richard Bowman shared a 106-run opening partnership with Alastair Bressington before holing out for 54, before his fellow opener went on to share a 91-run second-wicket stand with Charlie Gayther, scoring 85 in the process.

Gayther added 41 and Alex Gray 31 as Huntley racked up 255-7.

And Gayther then led the victory charge taking five for 13 off eight overs, backed by wicket braces for Bressington and Glyn Bailey, who took two off just five balls, with Stanway all out for 123 in 27 overs.

Huntley 2nds also hosted Goodrich 2nds in a nailbiting third v second Gloucestershire 9A clash that went down to the last over.

Goodrich skipper Joseph Griffiths fired 88, including 10 fours and two sixes, in the visitors' 177 all out on the final ball, backed by Ayrton Lowther with 27.

Patrick Legge took 4-23-8 and Colin Reeves 3-28-8 for the hosts, who were reduced to 175-8 with eight balls to play, but got over the line with four balls left thanks to a four from Colin Reeves who scored 29 not out, backed by Rhys Gardner 27, Josh Cooper 26, and Kris Abbott 23.

Three Fownhope Strollers players notched half centuries in a tight Worcestershire 7 run chase away to Malvern 2nds – Richard Lerego with 67, Kieron Terry 53 and Muhammad Zafar 51 in stands of 95 and 85 (180-2).

But despite the addition of 34 from skipper Alex Carter, who had earlier taken three wickets, the visitors fell 15 runs short of the 274-7 45-over target, finishing on 259-7.

Fixtures this Saturday (August 2) include – Ross-on-Wye 1sts v Bartestree & Lugwardine 4ths, Parkend 1sts v Goodrich 1sts, Goodrich 2nds v Parkend 2nds, Huntley 1sts v Bream 1sts, Fownhope 1sts v Brockhampton 3rds, Brockhampton 4ths v Fownhope 2nds.