PROLIFIC batsman Paul Lazenbury marked his return to the Herefordshire cricket set-up with a big century in a 139-run victory over Wales in the Minor Counties Championship Western Division three-day opener at Colwall.
Returning to the county after a short spell with First Class club Kent, Lazenbury flayed the visiting attack for a boundary-laden 143 - the third equal highest score from a Herefordshire player in Minor Counties history and his second century against Wales.
The Bath-born batsman faced just 257 balls altogether and shared a 173-run second-wicket stand with Aamir Farooque (85), which was the bedrock of Herefordshire's formidable 348-6.
Ismail Dawood (34) and Sarfraz Pathan (22) also contributed towards the Herefordshire total in what proved the county's only innings of the match after heavy rain washed out the second day's play.
By the end of the first day, Wales had slipped to 7-1 and when they returned on the third day, the visiting batsmen found life difficult against some accurate bowling.
Spinner Farooque (3-18), Lazenbury (2-11) and former Nottinghamshire seamer Kevin Cooper (2-16) all made inroads into the visitors' first innings on the final morning. Opener Qunal Khanna made a battling 21 as the visitors declared at 83-8.
Herefordshire forfeited their second innings to offer the possibility of a positive result, setting Wales a target of 266 from 67 overs.
The visitors made a good start in their victory bid, reaching 35-0, before Cooper (4-33) struck a triple blow, dismissing John Davies, Andy Jones and Roger Clitheroe.
Cooper was backed up by Farooque (4-36) and newcomer Simon Roberts (2-22), while Khanna (70) was the only Wales batsman to offer any prolonged resistance before they were eventually dismissed in their second innings for 126.
l Herefordshire will be aiming for a similar result against Wales this Sunday in the ECB 38 Counties Cup at Dales, Leominster.
Herefordshire: H Patel, P Lazenbury, R Hughes, N Davies, C Boroughs, K Pearson, A Mason, I Dawood, K Cooper, S Roberts, S Pathan.
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