After last weekend's wash-out, Main skipper Richie Walker had the weather in mind as he won the toss and elected to bowl first on the postage-stamp sized ground.

Despite the short boundaries, Burnopfield openers Riley and Atkinson initially found runs hard to come by; both Butler and Ali swinging the ball around.

However, after Butler had bowled Riley, the game changed; professional Baxter arrived at the crease and almost immediately set about trying to regain the initiative for his team.

In a whirlwind innings, consisting mainly of powerful drives, Baxter dominated the attack, surviving one chance off Butler in making 68.

Indeed, at 90-1 with Baxter at the crease, a big total looked imminent.

Craig Downey had other ideas though, deceiving Baxter with a slower delivery; Butler taking the catch at long-off.

Throughout the fireworks, however, Walker had begun what was to prove a fine spell of left-arm slow bowling.

Calling on his vast experience, Walker's flight and turn was too much for the Burnopfield batsmen, five of whom succumbed to the guile of the skipper, who finished with 5-32 from 14.4 overs.

Butler then returned, dismissing Burnopfield captain Smith and removing Tinnion, both edging swinging deliveries to Agarwal behind the stumps.

Fittingly, Walker took the last wicket and The Main walked off with a target of 156 to contemplate.

Initially, runs were hard to come by as the new ball darted around in the air and off the drying pitch; Tinnion and Hurst making the most of humid condition to cause Curtis and Ali several moments of discomfort.

In fact, it was not until the welcome emergence of the late afternoon sun that The Main began to dominate; Ali playing some exquisite shots.

Yet when he was trapped lbw by the persevering Hurst, for 33, the target of 156 looked a long way off.

Percy Main new boy Malcolm Clarke, on debut, drove imperiously through the off-side and one utterly dismissive straight six off Smith had the travelling support, as well as his new team-mates, in raptures.

Clarke made 35 before falling, somewhat controversially, caught behind off Baxter.

This brought Steve Linsley to the crease who made a patient, watchful 25 and, along with some cultured strokes from Agarwal, saw his side home with 12 overs to spare.

On Saturday, Percy Main entertain Whickham at St John's Green, where the two fastest bowlers in the division will go head-to-head; Whickham's South African professional Parr and The Main's Sri Lankan express Dimitri Nihalraj.

The match starts at 1.30pm.