Pat Foster’s second seven-wicket haul of the season saw Horspath crush Cove by eight wickets to slash the gap on Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 2 leaders Reading to just three points.

The former Durham MCCU seamer took 7-38 off 24.4 overs to roll over the Farnborough-based hosts for 126.

Cove crashed to 19-5 after choosing to bat first.

Foster started the rout by removing Andrew Short and Trent Keep, but only after the pair survived chances off Mohson Rana, Horspath’s seven-wicket hero at Falkland a week earlier.

Nicholas Randall was Foster’s third victim, with wicket-keeper Andy Wynd taking a diving catch.

Mark Skelton pouched a chance from Luke Voyce at short cover off Will Eason.

Reagan McLean, cousin of West Indies star Nixon McLean, then skied his first ball from Foster to Rana at mid-off.

Eason trapped Jake Roylance lbw, before Foster, in his second spell, had Stuart Dee caught at second slip by Joey Todd.

Only Najeeb Bashir Malik provided any resistance for Cove with 54 off 113 balls, which included five fours, as Foster and Eason (3-26) polished off the tail.

Todd (49) and Jimmy Phillips, making his third consecutive half-century, with eight fours in his unbeaten 54 from 83 balls, then saw Horspath home. Latest Sport news