Falmouth were handed a 56-run defeat at Callington in what could be a pivotal moment in the battle to avoid relegation from the Cornwall Premier League.

The visitors were unable to follow up last weekend’s maiden league victory of 2019 at Grampound Road and were bowled out for 143 at Moores Park as they attempted to chase Callington’s 199.

Falmouth are now 15 points behind Callington but their haul of seven bonus points from the match meant they managed to gain a point on Grampound after they suffered an agonising defeat at St Austell.

The home side were put in to bat first and saw Aidan Libby (9) fall early on after he was caught by Richard Kellow.

Scott Kellow was the danger man with the ball for Falmouth, with the bowler taking four wickets for just 22 runs, including the second and third wickets of Alex Robinson (14) and Yannick Leonard (15).

He was on hand to catch Joe White for just one run off Sajjad Jabarkhel’s ball as the hosts reached 62-4, but Peter Tancock (58) and Danny Carroll (24) put on a 73-run stand to take the score up to 135-5 before his dismissal.

Carroll fell shortly after, and although the remaining wickets fell for few runs, James Shorten’s 25 not out brought the hosts to within one of the double hundred at the end of the innings.

One of those cheap late wickets was of Alex Mortimore (11) but he starred with the ball at the start of Falmouth’s batting innings, taking the wickets of Grant Stone (13), Harry Roberts (0) and Aidan Carter (4), while Scott Kellow was dismissed for six runs as Falmouth reached 34-4.

Harry Sawyers stepped up to match his team-mates hat-trick of wickets, claiming Oliver Paull (3), Richard Kellow (24) and James Williamson (0).

Louis Rudin (5) also departed swiftly as Falmouth struggled towards 88-8 with their 200 target still a long way away.

Steven Redwood (31) and Jabarkhel (25no) kept their slender hopes alive with a 55-run partnership to take the score to 143-9 at the latter’s dismissal, but Luke Richardson only lasted one ball before he was removed as Callington sealed an important victory.

Fall (Callington): 20-1 Aidan Libby (Alex Robinson-6*); 40-2 Alex Robinson (Yannick Leonard-4*); 52-3 Yannick Leonard (Joe White-0*); 62-4 Joe White (Peter Tancock-9*); 135-5 Peter Tancock (Danny Carroll-21*); 139-6 Danny Carroll (Nick Parker-1*); 153-7 James Boundy (Nick Parker-5*); 155-8 Nick Parker (Alex Mortimore-1*); 193-9 Alex Mortimore (James Shorten-22*); 199-10 Harry Sawyers (James Shorten-25*).

Fall (Falmouth): 22-1 Grant Stone (Aidan Carter-3*); 25-2 Harry Roberts (Aidan Carter-3*); 33-3 Scott Kellow (Aidan Carter-3*); 34-4 Aidan Carter (Richard Kellow-0*); 48-5 Oliver Paull (Richard Kellow-6*); 71-6 Richard Kellow (Louis Rudin-0*); 74-7 James Williamson (Louis Rudin-2*); 88-8 Louis Rudin (Steven Redwood-5*); 143-9 Steven Redwood (Sajjad Jabarkhel-25*); 143-10 Luke Richardson (Sajjad Jabarkhel-25*).