A DISASTROUS batting collapse has cost Portland Tigers a third win in the Portland and District Cricket Association’s A grade season, with Colts snatching five wickets on Saturday while conceding a single run.

Portland Colts, who now sit atop the ladder undefeated with three wins from three starts, won the toss at Hanlon Park in round four and headed out to bat first.

The visiting team would finish with a total of 117 runs after 45 overs and opener Alister Stannard was the maestro of the innings, reaching 59 runs after facing 117 deliveries and coming close to carrying his bat.

Colts were handed their first serious challenge of the afternoon after reaching 1-54 and looking largely untroubled, with the return of Josh Atwell to Portland Tigers leading to a five-wicket haul.

Colts lost 5-12 in a five over stretch shortly after drinks and Atwell – bowling off-spin as opposed to his usual pace – did most of the damage, removing Luke Evans (0), Glenn Hollis (0), Shane Smith (0) and Sam McDonald (1), while Llewelyn Oakley saw the end of Karsen Edwards (7).

Remaining unphased at the non-striker’s end while these wickets fell was Stannard, hitting just one four in his half century, while the only other notable inputs with the bat came from Adam Barbary (17 from 48) and Mathew Belden (18 from 31).

Atwell finished with 5-15 from his eight overs, while Jake Davies was impressive again with 2-19.

With an achievable total in sight on home soil, Tigers’ run chase began in a disastrous fashion, collapsing to 5-11 before the end of the 11th over.

Openers Michael Blomeley (2) and Dean Brewster (8) looked shaky and then Llewelyn Oakley (0), Will Oakley (0) and Joel Hollis (0) all left without managing to score in a shattered display.

Colts’ Damien Bell took three of the wickets and captain Luke Evans took the other two, with just one run conceded during the carnage.

After two shocking five-wicket collapses in the space of a single one-dayer, the match then took another shocking turn, with the sixth-wicket partnership of Paul Procter and Ben Atwell somehow propelling Tigers back to within reach of a win.

Procter and Atwell batted for 12 overs together and added 60 runs, taking the team from 5-11 to 5-71 and within 47 runs of a win with more than half of the overs still to spare.

Atwell was happy to play to the anchor of the partnership, while Procter found some excellent free-flowing form after a quiet start to the summer.

Procter faced 44 balls and was the only batsman for the day looking to score in any kind of a hurry, cracking four fours and one large-but-effortless-looking six on his way to 42 runs.

Karsen Edwards – who was the victim of Procter’s maximum, belted in the direction of the scoreboard, was the bowler who would end the all-rounder’s innings, producing an edge that was caught by Sam McDonald in the final over before the drinks break.

Atwell battled hard to keep the run chase alive, taking the team to 6-85 with 13 overs still to spare, however without the rapid scoring of Procter on deck the team’s innings stagnated.

Atwell was dismissed for 10 runs from 57 balls faced and his team’s run chase came to an end at 89 runs in the 35th over, falling 29 runs short of a win.