Captain Josh Colwell led from the front as Chipping Campden pulled off a thrilling one run win over Thornbury 2nds.

The 27-year-old medium-pacer took the final wicket of the match as the visitors – the Gloucestershire County League Division One leaders – slipped to their first defeat of the campaign.

Colwell finished with 2-16 from 7.5 overs and said: “It was a very nice to game to win, it was great to be on the right side of a tight one.”

And they certainly had to battle all the way to clinch victory as Thornbury, needing 148 to win, were at various stages 78-1 and 133-5.

“They lost their last five wickets for 13 runs,” continued Colwell, who is in his first season with the club. “It was nice to get the last wicket but it was very much a gritty team effort.

“Off-spinner Mark Trueman and medium-pacer Jack Groves both bowled very well, they tied things up and I backed myself to come on at the end."

Trueman took 4-39 from his nine overs and Groves claimed 3-16 from nine.

Earlier, Groves’ brother Sam, batting at six, had helped Chipping Campden reach 147, hitting a quickfire 53 from 56 balls, with seven fours and two sixes.

The next highest score was 17 and Colwell said: “Sam has had a very good season with the bat and it was good to see him continue his good form.

“He brought us back into the game and gave us something to defend although I thought we were 30 under par.

“We needed early wickets but they got off to a flier and in the end it was smart and canny cricket that got us home.”

Colwell, who opens the batting, was playing for Stratford-upon-Avon in the Warwickshire Premier League last season and he is keen to see his new club progress.

Saturday’s win lifted them up to fifth in the 10-strong division, 16 points behind Thornbury, and Colwell, who lives in Bishop’s Cleeve, added: “We want to win the league, we really want to get promoted.

“The league is so tight, we’re within one win of being top. We feel everyone can beat everyone, we’ve just got to turn up on the day.

“The top order isn’t really firing yet but we’ve got some good players. Matt Andrews, our overseas player from Brisbane, is a real asset on and off the pitch.”

Chipping Campden travel to lowly Great Rissington on Saturday looking for their fourth win in seven games.