THREE wickets each for Aditya More and Chris Yeo sent Stoke Gabriel spinning to a 36-run defeat at Ashburton.

Stoke might have felt they had done the hard part by holding Ashburton to 183 for eight – Steve Edmonds opening up and top scoring on 61 for the side he skippers.

Stoke promptly crumbled to 65 for five then 79 for eight in reply as their innings turned into what looked like a lost cause. More (3-36) and Edmonds (2-19) caused most of the pain.

Captain Jack Tolley had other ideas though and bashed the bowling for 80 off 77 balls – five sixes, eight fours – as the target started coming down. What Stoke did not have was the luxury of wickets in hand and Yeo (3-39) eventually took out the last two.

Tolley was the last man out in Stoke’s reply of 147.

Earlier, Edmonds and Ashley Berry (35) had taken Ashburton to 119 for two without too many problems.

A three-wicket burst from Chris Harrison prompted Ashburton to slip from 120 for two to 138 for six.

Matt Churchill’s 31 not out helped restart the innings before the slip became a slide.