TITLE hopefuls Callington eventually ground out a 15-run victory at bottom side Grampound Road.

A delay of three and a half hours meant a 20-over match, the minimum allowed, but what was served up was a close contest all the way through.

The Roadies won the toss and chose to field and from the off squeezed Callington’s star-studded batting line-up.

Aidan Libby fell to Antony Angove in the fourth over for six, before surviving opener Xavie Clarke and South African Liam Lindsay put on 33 before Clarke was run-out by a combination of Angove and Ravi Karunarathna for 19 (44-2).

The hosts then enjoyed a superb passage of play as Lindsay (27), Max Tryfonos and skipper Graham Wagg all fell within six runs of each other (59-5), two going to Alex Lean (2-27 off 4).

The visitors fought back once more as James Brenton and Mohammed Danyaal added 32 from 27 balls.

Nathan Keevil bowled Brenton (19 off 15) and Ben Ellis in successive balls, but Danyaal (20no) and Joe White (8no) helped Cally post 106-7. David Neville (0-13) and Keevil (2-17) bowled tight four-over spells.

Grampound’s batsmen have found it tough since promotion and lost key man Antony Angove for a golden duck to Tryfonos (2-16 off 4).

Although Dave Hoskings fell for a run-a-ball 15, the Road looked well-placed at 46-2 in the ninth over.

But when Lean (12) top-edged Wagg to be brilliantly caught by Ben Alford, Wagg (2-6 off 4), Ellis (1-13) and Lindsay all kept a lid on the run-rate as wickets fell, including Karunarathna to a remarkable catch from Tryfonos running back towards the long-off boundary.

Skipper Tom Orpe survived the carnage for his 26, but when he was stumped off Lindsay (3-14 off 4), the Road slowed, eventually ending on 91-8.