NEW skipper Roshan Embalagama says he is relishing the challenge of trying to lead Parley to a hat-trick of Dorset League titles.

Embalagama knows he will have a hard act to follow after Neil Summerson guided the club to successive Premier Division crowns in 2009 and 2010.

Parley leapfrogged Poole Town and moved to the summit after registering a convincing eight-wicket victory over Broadstone on Saturday.

Now in his fourth season with the club, all-rounder Embalagama, 33, joined Parley after spending seven years playing top-flight cricket in Sri Lanka with Galle.

He told the Daily Echo: “I am enjoying the captaincy but it is also a challenge for me because we are trying to defend the title. But I am not thinking about winning the league at the moment and am just taking one game at a time.

“The hardest part of being captain for me is communication with the other players because I am Sri Lankan. They are all young lads and I feel like a father to the team. Some of them are half my age but we have got a great bunch of lads.”

Medium pacer Jamie Hicks (4-36) bowled a tight line as Parley dismissed Broadstone for 183 with Matt Thomas (64) and Steven Trembath (33) the main contributors. Tom Barber (2-19) and Sam Thomson (2-30) were also among the wickets.

In reply, teenagers Tom Jacques (85) and Sam Collins (54*) ensured Parley would make light work of the chase as they recorded a third straight victory with more than 23 overs in hand.

Jacques’s explosive knock came off 52 balls and included a 28-ball 50. He plundered 76 in boundaries, hitting no fewer than 16 fours and two towering sixes.

Embalagama added: “They started well but we pushed them back and took some wickets. Jamie bowled really well, as did Tom Barber, a young quick bowler who also plays for Hampshire Academy. We batted well and Tom raced to a quick 85.”

• Poole Town were toppled from pole position after suffering an unexpected three-wicket defeat at Blandford.

Brothers Dave and Martin Miller (28) rescued Poole from 71 for five to 113 for six before Jamie Thomas (34) added 73 for the seventh wicket with Dave Miller.

Injured Dave Miller, batting with the aid of a runner, finished unbeaten on 74 and marshalled the tail to 241 for eight – their total boosted by no fewer than 55 wides (Richie Thomas 5-44, Mike Shepherd 2-31).

Blandford were indebted to a fourth-wicket stand of 122 between Luke Carter (78) and Dan Brockway (57). Skipper Alex White (32) also added valuable runs as they eased home with 15 balls to spare.

• Skipper Andy Hayward was left to rue Wimborne & Colehill failing to bat their full allocation of overs as they slipped to a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Dorchester.

David Guest (74) underpinned Wimborne & Colehill’s 216, with Ben Bridgen (37) the only other batsman to contribute significantly before Dorchester cleaned them up (Rob Waite 4-45).

Although Ben Ratcliffe (3-36) and Rob Hatchard (2-21) both bowled accurately and economically, Dorchester managed to squeeze home with three balls to spare.

Captain Hayward, who saw his team remain in seventh place, said: “If we had batted our 50 overs, we would have won.”

• Suttoners slipped a place to sixth after squandering the chance to polish off Weymouth in a low-scoring affair at Dean Park.

A watchful knock from Nick Arnold (53) and an undefeated 31 from Ashley Wallace helped Suttoners post a modest 155.

And although Suttoners scented victory after Weymouth had been reduced to 95 for seven, the Seasiders held their nerve to land the spoils (Chris Rawlings 4-38, Paul Harding 1-20).

Suttoners skipper Clive Johns said: “We bowled very well for 34 overs and restricted them to just 95 for seven but then let it slip and they reached the target with no more losses in the 41st over.”

• Ferndown Wayfarers (147) suffered a crushing 129-run defeat in their bottom-of-the-table clash with Stalbridge (276-7).