Blackheath remain in second place in the Shepherd Neame Kent League Division Table five points behind leaders Bickley after victory against Harvel at The Rectory Field on Saturday.

It was achieved despite a truly superb century by Harvel's David Walker.

After Blackheath skipper James Hands had won the toss and elected to bat, he and Richard Rawlings put on 122 for the first wicket before both were dismissed at that total.

Hands was run out for 52, while Rawlings was leg before to Simon Jones for 54.

Richard Jerman was joined by Dwayne Petley and they put on 53 for the third wicket, Jerman hitting 43 and Petley 19.

However, from a seemingly commanding 175-3, Blackheath then lost wickets at regular intervals with only Paul Frith, who made 19, and last man Rupert Staple, with 12, making double figures from number five downwards.

Blackheath were eventually dismissed with the fourth last ball of their allotted 50 overs for 241 when a much larger total had looked certain earlier in the day.

However, Blackheath were devastating when Harvel made the crease with strike bowler Petley ripping out their top three batsman.

Richard Pudney was caught by Jerman for nine, Ben Phillips was leg before for five and Julian Taylor was bowled for seven as Harvel slumped to 29-3.

That soon became 51-5 after Omar Khan had trapped Gary Whatman in front of his stumps for just a single, and Staple had dismissed his brother Mark for only four.

However, at the other end, Walker was in magnificent form.

At last he found an ally in Stuart Penney as their pair, with Walker hitting the lion's share, launched a Harvel recovery with a brilliant sixth-wicket stand.

They put on 114 and took Harvel to 165 before Penney was bowled by Staple for a defiant 23.

Staple then did an encore when he removed Stephen Keast for three.

This signalled the return to the attack of Petley and he too hit the stumps to send back Desmond Bailey for four.

Walker's resistance finally ended when Staple had him caught by Reimell Ragnauth for a superb 107 and Petley then knocked back Jones' stumps to end Harvel's innings on 175 in the 48th over.

Harvel's last five wickets had fallen for the addition of just 10 runs to leave Blackheath victorious by 66 runs.

Petley was the pick of the home attack wicket-wise, finishing with figure of 5-54, but Staple's spinners produced the day's outstanding bowling as he took 4-29 off 12 overs, while Khan was very economic with his 1-13 return off seven overs.

The win sets the title race up nicely when the top two sides meet at Bickley Park this Saturday.