MARSHFIELD remain on course for a grand day out at the home of English cricket – Lord’s – in this year’ s Davidstow Village Cup.

They will play Redmarley at Playley Green at week on Sunday with a place in the national rounds for the first time in six years, waiting for them.

And Marshfield will go all out to ride their good fortune after surviving their first match in the Gloucestershire group when Rockhampton CC fielded an ineligible player.

Last weekend, they took on Apperley and despite overnight rain and overcast conditions, the managed to carve out a semi-final victory that now pits them in the regional final against Redmarley Marshfield won the toss against Apperley and elected to have first use of what was a typically batsman friendly home pitch.

The early overs made for entertaining viewing, with the Apperley bowlers, in particular Louis Hamilton, finding plenty of life in the pitch and the Marshfield opening pair happy to play their shots.

Having reached 45 without loss from seven overs, a flurry of wickets saw Marshfield reduced to a precarious 73-3 before Jeremy Bond and Cameron Walker steadied the innings.

With Walker departing with the score on 136, Bond passed fifty and was now regularly finding the boundary, departing 16 short of his century after skying a chance to the safe hands of Hugh Leeke at long on.

Any concerns that his wicket would slow the Marshfield run rate quickly disappeared as David Jenkins arrived at the crease.

Having arrived on a 6am train from London that morning, without sleep or kit, and suffering the ill effects of a football club presentation the previous evening, he proceeded to smash 48 from 32 balls to take Marshfield to an imposing target of 254-7 from their forty overs.

The Apperley reply started confidently, with opener Jamie Batten looking particularly comfortable and finding the cover boundary a number of times in the early overs.

After being plundered for 12 in his previous over, Marshfield spinner Tom Clist responded impressively for the away side, first clean bowling the dangerous Luke Smith, before trapping skipper Rob Birch leg before wicket, three balls later for a duck.

Batten continued his counter attack, scoring freely all around the wicket, but lacked support from the other end as the required run rate crept up.

Following two more wickets for Lamb and Christie before drinks, the crucial wicket of Batten fell to 14-year-old Hamish Walker and with it any chance of a recovery for the home side.

Despite further cameos from West and Hamilton Snr, Apperley were finally dismissed for 173 in the 36th over.

And so it is off to Playley Green for Marshfield on June 14 where they face a home side who had an impressive five wicket win over Painswick in their semi-final.

The game begins at 1.30pm and Marshfield hope to complete the group stages with a regional final victory and to join the rest of the country’s small teams on the journey towards Lord’s.