Rowledge completed a thoroughly comprehensive ten-wicket victory over newly promoted Langley Manor having lost the toss and being made to field first.

Langley started their innings spritely enough, with openers J and W Budd playing freely on a good looking wicket on a hot day, and at 68 for one off 12 overs would have been looking at a total in the region of 250.

However the ever reliable David Lloyd got the breakthrough and the visitors never really recovered. The classy number three batsman T Singh Gill (57) tried to hold the innings together but his partners regularly returned to the pavilion without getting double figures on the scoreboard.

The final total of 150 all out never really looked challenging enough on what was a wicket that looked superb and was never hard to bat on.

A lot of the collapse can be put down to the fielding and bowling of Rowledge’s youngsters, and also the evergreen Lloyd, whose figures of one for 20 in ten overs summed up the control of the game by the fielding side.

All the bowlers bowled tightly and in partnerships which pressurised the batsmen into rash shots. Special mention should be given to Ollie Baker (three for 22) and Olly Ryman (three for 40) who enabled the home side to dominate Langley, who never got on top or looked like achieving a big total.

However well Rowledge had bowled and fielded, the reply was completely dominated by the excellent New Zealander Archie Redfern, an opening batsman who along with fellow opener Zac Le Reux (36 not out) never looked in trouble against the Langley bowling attack and finished the game off in 26.3 overs. Le Reux played very maturely and let Redfern take the visitors apart.

Redfern has scored runs all season and consistently played superbly, and is by far and away the league’s leading run-getter. He showed his class by playing a chanceless 114 not out in 91 balls and taking Rowledge to victory in just over half the available overs.

Langley did not know where to bowl to him as they toiled in the heat and the opener produced classy shots over and over again.

Rowledge take an early league lead into next week’s game at Havant but must continue to produce performances of this calibre to remain there for the second half of the season.

Archie Redfern has been a huge asset to the club on and off the field, which has led to a great team spirit within the whole club.

With the second and third teams also winning, it turned out to be a great weekend for the villagers.

The second team beat Steep by nine wickets chasing a total of 109, with Richard Forbes (three for eight) and Jamie King (three for 20) shooting the home side out for a low total.

Ricky Yates (61) and Ethan Grist (28 not out) almost knocked off the target themselves in 13.2 overs, with Max Hinchliffe hitting his first ball for six to finish the game.

Rowledge’s third team, batting first, made 229 for five in 40 overs, with returning Will Houghton hitting 101, Mark Garnham 28, Riad Nicholson 27 and skipper Mike Hinchliffe 29 not out.

Hartley Wintney were bowled out for 66, with Riad Nicholson taking three for 11 and Kayden Conderie two for 20.