BOURNEMOUTH skipper Chris Park urged his table-topping troops to keep their foot on the gas.

Lions recorded a dominant 119-run triumph at Hook & Newnham Basics on Saturday, posting an impressive 263 for seven before dismissing the hosts for a miserly 144.

Victory earned the Chapel Gate outfit 22 points and kept them at the Southern League Division One summit ahead of title rivals Sarisbury Athletic and Calmore Sports.

And while he refused to get carried away, Park insisted the depth and understanding in Lions’ ranks had played a huge part in their strong opening to the campaign.

He told the Daily Echo: “This is my third season back and we mainly have the same group of players with one or two additions.

“The young lads know what it’s all about now and, hopefully, we have set high standards with bat and ball, as well as our fielding. They are understanding the game plans and tactics I employ as a captain.

“Having a good squad of 14 or 15 players has been absolutely crucial so far this season. Hopefully, over the next couple of weeks things are going to settle down but it’s proving we have such a strong squad of players to bring in.

“Things are working nicely at the moment but now we have a really tough game against Calmore, so we need to be up for it just as much as we were on Saturday.

“Hook and Calmore were up there with us and I think they still will be at the end of the season. Every side in this league can beat one another.”

Having won the toss and elected to bat first against Hook, Bournemouth openers Nick Park (49) and Martin Miller (54) set a 102-run platform.

Despite a slight stutter in the middle order, some late hitting from all-rounder Jake Hurley (44) and George Wilson (23*) helped take the game away from the hosts. Hook never looked like troubling their required target after Bournemouth started menacingly with the ball, leaving the hosts reeling at 44 for three.

Openers Dave Kidner (1-27) and Hurley (2-31) set the tone before left-arm spinners Dom Clutterbuck (3-34) and Rob Pack (3-33) tore through the middle and lower orders.

There was also a wicket for Ed Denham (1-16) as Lions cruised to their sixth win from eight games.

“It was nearly the complete performance,” added Park. “The batsmen did their job – despite having a little wobble in the middle overs – but we managed to recover.

“Jake Hurley and George Wilson accelerated brilliantly in the final six overs to set up a really good score on what was turning out to be a difficult pitch to bat on.

“Early wickets were crucial with the ball. Dave Kidner and Jake did really well to get three in the first 10 overs – that helped Rob and Dom do what they do best.”