DORSET Premier League powerhouses Parley will be hoping to take another step on the road to Lord’s on Sunday when they embark on the next stage of their Davidstow Village Cup adventure.

Parley, competing for the first time in the prestigious competition, host Oxfordshire group winners Great and Little Tew at their picturesque Christchurch Road headquarters (1pm).

They set up a showdown with the Home Counties Premier League Division Two outfit after seeing off two-time Village Cup winners Goatacre in the Dorset & Wiltshire regional final.

Parley’s 19-run triumph saw them progress to the national stages of the competition, leaving them just four wins from a showpiece final at the home of cricket on Sunday, September 7.

Skippered by Sam Collins, most of the Parley team has come through the club’s youth ranks, although strict competition rules prevent some of their other players from taking part, including first-team captain Tom Jacques who is ineligible having represented Dorset last season.

Parley chairman Mark Barber said: “It has been a great benefit to have played clubs from other areas of the country.

“It is also a good way of testing ourselves against different players and a great experience for our lads, most of whom have come through our colts section.

“We didn’t really know what to expect with it being our first year. But we beat Goatacre who had only lost once in 20 years at that stage. So far, we feel we have played to our potential.”

Hundreds of clubs from villages with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants from England, Scotland and Wales were placed into regional groups with Parley having progressed to the last 32.

Parley: S Collins, M Collins, Gunn, Green, Hicks, Clutterbuck, Wilson, Price, Hendy, Embalagama, Blackley.