A LACKLUSTRE batting display saw Steeple Langford tumble to a four-wicket defeat at home to Romsey thirds.

Deciding to bat first on a hard flat track, Langford lost an early wicket before Tom Bennett (25) and Simon Ford (22) took the score to 41.

Wickets then fell at regular intervals with a number of batsmen getting themselves in before being dismissed through poor shots.

Chris Mundy scored 20 and Gary Smith 28 before the last pair of Pete Smith (8*) and number 11 Liam Harvey (20*) added 30 valuable runs to see the home side end on a below-par 165 for nine with the wickets being shared between the away team’s bowlers.

In reply, OTs and Romsey openers put on 50 but rode their luck at times with the Langford bowlers beating the bat on numerous occasions.

Tom Bennett then came on and took three wickets to leave the away side on 86 for 4 but a fifth wicket stand of 57 pretty much sealed the victory for them and they knocked off the runs for the loss of six wickets with 12 overs to spare. Slade with 31 and Bampton 35 doing the most damage.

The seconds' campaign got off to wobbly start before a ball had even been bowled, turning up at the wrong ground.

They eventually found the correct pitch at Christchurch as the game started 20 minutes late.

Even a late wicket for young debutant Jamie Crosier wasn’t enough to turn the tide with the target eventually being reached in the 30th over with the loss of four wickets as Steeple were declared 116 all out.