POTTERNE failed to follow up their opening-day success at Cheltenham as they slipped to a four-wicket loss at home to Downend in Premier One.

Like the majority of games across the region, winning the toss was crucial regarding the game’s outcome.

And Potterne skipper Ashur Morrison was left to ponder what could have been after being put into bat by Downend counterpart Jordan Garrett.

The hosts struggled their way through 41 overs to record 185 all out.

Plenty of Potterne batsmen got themselves in – Thomas Cullen, Jake Goodwin, Neil Clark, Basil Akram, David Bromley and Tahir Afridi all reached double figures.

But expanding on their knocks proved an impossible task as the visitors’ Matthew Jackson and Callum Loud claimed three wickets apiece.

A drying wicket paved the way for Downend to assert their dominance on the game, and they did just that – reaching the 186 runs required to win by four wickets in less than 32 overs.

Morrison admitted his side struggled to grind out additional runs at key points during the game, and said a score of 200-plus would have better suited their chances of earning a second win of the season.

He said: “To be honest, it was a wet pitch, and the team that bowled first was going to have the upper hand.

“Saying that, the wicket could have been worse – but we maybe could’ve ground out a result a bit more.

“We were a few runs short of what I believe would’ve been a challenging total.

“But the sun did dry the pitch out and it got flatter, which made it easier to bat late on.

“We should’ve posted 200-plus, or at least batted for our 50 overs – that’s a key thing to do in this division.

“The game was tough. We still bowled okay, but overall, it was a struggle.”

Defeat for Potterne means they sit nine points clear of second-from-bottom Cheltenham. This weekend, they tackle Lansdown at home.