It promises to be a tense finale to the season for Falmouth as they bid to avoid relegation from the Jolly's Drinks ECB Cornwall Premier League.

They were well beaten by eight wickets in their vital game at bottom club Hayle on Saturday. Hayle started the day 15 points adrift of the rest of the field and desperately needed a win to stay with the pack. They did so in style to cut the gap between themselves and Falmouth to just 0.1 on points average, or effectively two points.

It was a result that did Camborne and Newquay no favours either as they are now both within 13 points of the bottom as increasingly it looks like things going down to the wire. Falmouth face another huge game against Newquay on Saturday. That's followed by a trip to Grampound Road then two big home games against St Just and Truro.

After being put in at the Towans Falmouth impressed with the bat for much of their innings. Openers Stefan Churcher and Sean Hooper carried on from where they left off at Camborne the previous week to put on another century opening stand.

Young Churcher led the way with a string of boundaries playing some delightful flowing on drives. In the end it was this shot that proved his undoing as he lofted to Wayne Jenkin, who comfortably held the catch at mid-on. Churcher hit 14 boundaries in his 87 made off 93 balls. The pair had set the platform with a stand of 134 in 30 overs.

Steve Williams joined Hooper to add exactly 50 in 12 overs before he was bowled for 24 by the home team's fifth bowler used, Paul Lello. After the opening salvo of Lee Caddy and Martin Jenkin, Hayle relied on slow bowling with Wayne and Kevin Jenkin and Jason Weeks sending down 25 overs between them without taking a wicket. The introduction of Lello and Ryan Colyn changed the complexion of the game. Antony Angove was run out for three by Martin Jenkin at backward square, when a single was misjudged. Then Hooper was bowled by Colyn for 72 on the same total of 209. Ryan Edwards was lbw to Lello for 10 and Duncan Ayres bowled for six as wickets tumbled.

A mix up saw Adrian Noott run out as was Rob Eccleston a couple of overs later. Mark Burley, on a welcome return to first team action following illness in the winter, got into double figures but at tea the Falmouth total of 255 for 8 was probably 25 shy of what looked likely when they had been 194-1 fwith 13 overs to go.

Just as they did at Falmouth earlier in the season, Hayle openers Steve Pollard and Wayne Jenkin got their side off to a great start adding 112 for the first wicket in 30 overs. Churcher got the breakthrough to have Pollard smartly stumped by Burley for 48.

Hayle skipper Martin Jenkin came to the crease and was soon playing his shots. The left-hander was particularly severe on spinner David Neville despatching him for six boundaries over the course of a couple of overs. Neville, however, fought back to have Wayne Jenkin lbw for 90 which included two sixes and 11 fours of 107 balls.

Hayle still needed 68 off 14 overs but Martin Jenkin and Kevin Jenkin, on his return to the team, got past the winning post with five overs to spare. Kevin ended on 24 not out while Martin hit a six and 14 fours in his unbeaten 86 of just 62 balls.

Duncan Ayres only conceded 26 from his nine overs while there was a wicket apiece for Neville and Churcher.

FALMOUTH S Hooper b R Colyn 72 S Churcher c W Jenkin b J Weeks 87 S Williams b P Lello 24 A Angove run out 3 R Edwards lbw b P Lello 10 D Ayres b R Colyn 6 A Noott run out 3 R Eccleston run out 6 M Burley not out 11 D Neville not out 8 Extras 25 Total (8 wts, 55 overs) 255 Fall: 134-194-209-209-222-228-230-244 Bowling: L Caddy 8-1-41-0, M Jenkin 6-0-23-0, W Jenkin 13-1-56-0, K Jenkin 7-0-29-0, J Weeks 5-0-30-1, P Lello 9-1-28-2, R Colyn 7-1-30-2 HAYLE S Pollard st M Burley b S Churcher 48 W Jenkin lbw b D Neville 90 M Jenkin not out 86 K Jenkin not out 24 Extras 12 Total (2 wkts, 50 overs) 260 Fall: 112-188.

Bowling: D Ayres 9-4-26-0, M Woods 13-0-86-0, D Neville 16-3-67-1, S Churcher 12-1-76-1 Hayle (19 points) beat Falmouth (6 points) by eight wickets