FALMOUTH could, and perhaps should, have beaten the Jolly’s Drinks ECB Cornwall Premier leaders Werrington on Saturday, at the Hine Downing Oval, writes Michael Weeks.

They seemed to have done all the hard work bowing the North Cornwall side out for just 121 and in reply Falmouth looked to be cruising to victory at 74-1 before it all went horribly wrong.

Just as the previous week at St Austell, they were narrowly edged out in a low scoring game as the last nine wickets fell for 37 runs in an epic batting collapse.

At the two thirds point of the season they remain in seventh spot and are now 47 points off the pace.

Title chasing Grampound Road are the visitors on Saturday, with the earlier start time of 12.30pm for the remainder of the season.

Werrington, who were without all-rounder Alex Smeeth, elected to bat.

Glyn Furnival made an early strike to have Simon Green caught and bowled for four.

Mark Gribble made 18 and skipper Ben Smeeth 12, but the home side then took the initiative by taking four wickets for just 20 runs.

Christian Purchase bowled Green and trapped Smeeth in front, leg before, with Furnival completing a fine spell to remove Adam Hodgson and Paul Smith and the visitors were in some trouble at 55-5.

Furnival took three for 16 from his 11 overs.

Nick Lawson made 15 before George Popperwell had him caught behind by Callum Whittaker.

Tom Lyle then hit what was to prove a vital 23 before being LBW to Antony Angove.

The last pair of Danny Warne and Ian Fishman contributed 12 for the tenth wicket, which was ultimately to prove the difference between the sides.

Popperwell, Purchase and Angove took two wickets and young Sam O’Nyons bowled three overs for 13 runs on his debut.

Angove got Falmouth off to a flying start making 32 before he was caught behind off Fishman.

Whittaker made 16 and Kieran Rodda 19 as they got the home side to a promising 74-1.

Both fell in the space of four runs to give the visitors some hope.

The key wicket of Purchase followed at 95, bowled by Hodgson for eight.

It then all fell apart as the last seven wickets fell for just 15 runs to the slow bowling of Hodgson, who finished the innings with figures of five for 28, and Smeeth, four for 14.

They were 111 all out with, frustratingly, a massive 32 overs unused.