DORSET chairman Sean Walbridge described as “perfect” the way Wimborne staged their first Minor Counties fixtures at the Leaze.

The home of the Minstermen provided a fine setting as Dorset recorded a victory and a defeat in their Unicorns T20 double-header against Wales on Sunday.

Walbridge told the Daily Echo: “We are hopeful this could be the start of a long and fruitful relationship between us and Wimborne.

“We were blessed with good weather, which was fantastic, the club and the event was perfect. We may well have another T20 day there next year followed by a 50-over game.

“We will speak to the club to see if they do want to take three-day cricket. It’s about having the ground and catering staff to do it for three days and it’s whether they feel they can provide that for us.

“But we were delighted with the ground, the facilities and everything for the spectators. We are really pleased all the hard work being put in by John Ridout (club chairman) and the guys at Wimborne has paid off.

“People said how nice it was to have the county team back in the heart of the county and we were delighted the relationship we had with Wimborne paid dividends.”

Dorset sealed a three-wicket victory in the opening contest of the day before being beaten by 20 runs second time round – meaning they have won four of their opening six games.

They are level on points with Devon at the top of Group Four with the winners progressing to finals day at Wormsley on Sunday, August 26.

The former Dean Park side have one more pair of fixtures remaining when they make the trip to Cornwall on Sunday.

Limited overs skipper Jigar Naik told the Daily Echo: “The way things have gone so far have been outstanding. There are plenty of positives to come out of it with all the youngsters stepping up to perform.

“Everyone is putting their hands up at different times of a game and I am really happy with the way things are going. We have set plans but they can all change and everyone is adapting nicely.

“The way we have taken on our roles and had more of an understanding of what each person is doing, the better we have been.

“T20 is hard and fast. I have enjoyed it and with my experience I hope it has been a benefit to the club.

“I want to be the best I can every day and hopefully the decisions I make go our way. It has gone well so far.

“In the first T20 competition which Minor Counties are doing, if we win the next two games, history could be made and it will be an icing on the cake if we can do that.”