SKIPPER Ryan Norman hailed his Swanage players – and their opponents and the club’s ground staff – after they had regained pole position in the Dorset Funeral Plan Premier League.

Swans registered a convincing 107-run victory over Wimborne & Colehill at Day’s Park in one of only four matches in all six divisions to survive on soggy Saturday.

Invited to bat first on a bowler-friendly track having lost the toss, Swans posted a challenging 192 for nine.

And although the Minstermen were set a revised target of 179 due to a rain break, they were shot out for just 71 as Swans collected 19 valuable points.

Swans beat Wimborne & Colehill by three wickets in May, one of seven successive victories which saw them start the season like an express train.

However, defeats by Broadstone, Dorchester and Poole Town in three of their four previous games had seen them displaced at the summit.

But victory over the reigning champions took them back to the top of the pile and left them three points ahead of Broadstone ahead of this week’s trip to Shillingstone.

Captain Norman told the Daily Echo: “It was a good win for us on a day when no other games in the division were played.

“A massive amount of credit must go to the grounds team for working so hard throughout the week to prepare the ground in difficult conditions.

“Having lost the toss and been put in, the guys applied themselves superbly and put a good score on the board.

“Some excellent bowling and ground fielding, backed up by some exceptional catches, saw us to a convincing win.

“Huge credit must go to both teams for their attitude in what was clearly not cricket weather but both stuck to their tasks admirably.

“We move on now having taken advantage of being the only game played and going back top of the league.”

Dorset’s Ollie Shrubsole and Mike Salmon gave Swans an ideal platform after putting on 75 for the first wicket.

However, after Shrubsole (57) and Salmon (36) had departed, Spencer Naylor (4-32) and Ian Broom (3-33) combined to reduce them from 75 without loss to 125 for five.

But Rob Hatchard (36) steadied the ship and remained undefeated – including sharing 35 for the ninth wicket with Mike Hernandez – as they closed on 192 for nine (George Bartlett 1-26).

Ian Booth (2-9), Hernandez (2-30), Hatchard (1-8) and Norman (1-10) ran through the Wimborne & Colehill top order with Colin Randall (16) the only batsman to reach double figures.

And it was left to Pete Richards (4-10) to aptly mop up the tail as the visitors lost their last four wickets for the addition of just nine runs.