LEAGUE leaders Newbury proved too strong for Hillingdon Manor whose recent run of form came to an end with an eight-wicket defeat.

Manor had no answer to home skipper Charlie Anstey who caused problems first with the ball and was then immovable with the bat in his hand.

The visitors lost Rajiv Tanna (10) early on and although Zubair Akram and David Huntley rebuilt, pushing Manor to 57 for one, Anstey first trapped Akram (24) leg before and then had Huntley stumped for 32.

Hanabe (3-47) removed Gary Higgins (12) on his first team debut, edging behind and then Aftab Akram (11) as too many top order batsman made starts but failed to push on.

Anstey continued to bowl an excellent spell of spin, picking up four for 69 as Manor struggled to 121 for seven, before wicket-keeper Azim Karim (46) and youngster Adam Seymour (35 not out) put on a vital ninth-wicket stand of 80 to take Manor past maximum batting points and on to a decent total.

However, Anstey and Ed Uden got Newbury off to a solid start, aided when both where dropped in quick succession - Anstey was shelled behind the stumps on 35 and Uden was spilled in the covers on nine.

They punished Manor by putting on 168 for the first wicket before Uden eventually went for 78, but Anstey remained to make an unbeaten 111, seeing his side home in some comfort. [25a0] The second XI wrapped up a straightforward win against Woking-ham III in Division 5A after Justin Corbin (52), Grant Morris (48) and Peter Lonsdale (37) helped Manor post 209 for nine.

Veteran Gary Smith led the way with four for 36 and the newly promoted Justin Nicholls showed his credentials with four for 39 as Wokingham were hustled out for 132 on an increasingly difficult batting pitch.

* In Division 8B Manor thirds drew with top of the table British Airways II, who posted 210 for eight despite good spells of spin bowling from Paul Robinson (3-39) and Simon Ward (2-50).

Manor batted rather negatively, reaching 165 for five off their overs with good contributions by Mark Haywood (50) and Sid Moledina (63 not out). [25a0] The Sunday first XI easily overcame North Maidenhead, rolling them over for only 32 as Adam Seymour and Aftab Akram ran riot with three wickets apiece. Manor knocked off the runs for the loss of three wickets.

The second team were unable to prevent Civil Service racking up 266 for six in their game and despite a valiant chase by Manor which included an excellent century from Stuart Duce, they ended up 32 runs short of the target.

DIVISION 4A: Hayes 110-3 (20pts) beat Bagshot II 108 (3pts) by seven wickets

A HARD-fought win over lowly Bagshot II maintained Hayes' surge up the table.

A seven-wicket win looks comfortable enough on paper but it was tough going on a track that overnight rain turned into a seam bowler's paradise.

Micky Green (4-41), Claudius Way-land (2-29) and Sean Morgan (3-24) steamed in at a rate of knots to leave the visitors on 52 for five and, unlike in some recent games, Hayes did not let their advantage slip. Aided by three sharp catches from Ram Ramnath, Bagshot were bowled out for 108.

The Hayes response stuttered at 19 for two and 48 for three, but old heads Chris Frost (27 not out) and Mark Funnell, making a welcome return to form with an unbeaten 43, saw them home. [25a0] The second XI just failed to take advantage of an outstanding chance to beat in-form BA II, who declared their innings on 222 for seven.

Hayes fought back from 128 for six to reach 210 for eight and they were just one agonising run short on 221 when the final wicket fell, with Vipon Sharma stranded on 75 not out. [25a0] The academy side had to chase 260 in a 40-over match with Wealdstone Corinthians on Sunday, finishing on 200 for eight with Ryan Egan blasting 73 with support from Callum Jones (32). [25a0] Hayes plan to hold their annual fun day at the club on Sunday after the original day was rained off.

Kids rides and competitions are among the entertainment on offer from 1pm as well as a sponsored bowlathon by the club's colts, aged eight to 17, to raise money to improve cricket facilities.

Entry is free for children and £1 for adults which will provide them with a numbered programme for a prize draw. Call 020 8573 4115 for details.