Bedordshire beat Lincolnshire by 5 wickets

Lincolnshire managed only 26 more runs for their last four wickets on the final day of the Minor Counties Championship match at Bedford, leaving the home side needing 150 to win.

The overnight partnership of Mark Fell and Oliver Burford, which had taken Lincs to 143 for six, ended with the former out for 25 and Burford lbw Alan Roberts for 17 and the final wicket fell on 169, Roberts finishing with three wickets and Patterson with four.

However, it wasn't all plain sailing for Beds as a run out and a wicket for Jonathan Davies reduced them to 11 for two and Davies then took the third on 30. But Shankar and Knott got together to add 70 and when Shankar was caught off Jon Trower for 46, Patterson contributed 20 to help the score to 129 for five. Knott went on to make an unbeaten 46 as the home side claimed a five wicket victory which takes them to the top of the Minor Counties table.

Lincs next match is tomorrow (Thursday) when they contest the quarter final of the 38 County Cup, taking on the Warwickshire County Board at Coventry. For this match, Bobby Chapman and Simon Oakes replace Davies and Simon Webb, both of whom are unavailable.

Davies returns in place of Oakes and Chapman stays in the side for the three day match against Hertfordshire which begins at 11 am on Sunday at Grantham.