Tewkesbury opener Jack Brixey was at his brutal best on Saturday, scoring 146 to help his side secure a resounding 123-run victory over Apperley at Swilgate.

Apperley skipper Luke Smith won the toss and, after the overnight rain, had no hesitation in asking the home side to bat first.

However, the Tewkesbury opening pair of Brixey and James Allcoat have been in good form so far this year and were able to reach their third half-century partnership of the season.

When Allcoat fell to Dave Means for 23, the score had reached 82 off just 15 overs. Means continued to bowl his left-arm medium pace very accurately and proved difficult to get away, taking 1-25 off his 10 overs.

However, the other Apperley bowlers found the going much harder and, on an excellent batting track, the Tewkesbury batsmen were able to find plenty of gaps in the field.

In particular, hard-hitting opener Brixey was in devastating form, hitting five huge sixes and 15 fours in his innings.

When Brixey was eventually out for 146, caught in the deep by Matt Williams off Lutho Nkanjeni, the innings could have stalled.

However, Freddie Humphries (97 not out) manoeuvred the ball beautifully and was able to keep the momentum of the innings going with the help of aggressive stroke play and running from Warren Deeming (24).

Tewkesbury’s total of 326-3 was always a tough ask and it looked even tougher a few overs into their reply when the visitors lost wicketkeeper-batsmen Andy O’Connor bowled by Adam Brookes for seven.

After that difficult start Apperley refused to throw in the towel and opener Luke Smith (30), all-rounder Dave Means (40) and ex-skipper Rob Birch (30) all put up firm resistance.

However, decent line and length from all of the Tewkesbury bowlers allied to such a sizeable first innings score meant the target never looked in danger. Nineteen-year-old Will New (1-23) bowled with good pace and control for the home side for the second week running.

However, the pick of the Tewkesbury bowlers, to cap a perfect day for him, was spinner Brixey, with 2-29 off his 10 overs.

This win over their neighbours moves Tewkesbury up to third in the Gloucestershire Division of the west of England Premier League. On Saturday, they move on to play Dumbleton at Dairy Lane in another key derby fixture.