WITH names like Smurf, Lego, Duplo, Swiss, Pogo, Mallard and Panda this team sound like the cast of a CBeebies show.

But after being battered by them twice last year, The Road know they have to take LPL rivals Corridor CC seriously.

And so it proved as King’s Road came a cropper yet again despite Leon Watson passing the landmark 1,000 runs for the club.

The boys from Battersea couldn’t keep up with the Dors as they chased 196 on a bright and sunny Saturday in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.

Jamie Keating bagged a three-for, Leon batted from the third over to hit 58 not out and Jon Malsingh smashed 46 but it was not enough as The Road fell 32 runs short.

Having lost the toss, The Road – skippered by Dan Sherman – were sent out to field and bowled well in before the drinks break.

Dors skip and LPL supremo Duncan Mallard avoided getting a duck, but fell for 4 when he was bowled by Adam Majeed.

At 10 overs, Corridor CC had scored just 35 with pacemen Adam and Matt Glover well on top.

But during the middle overs the Dors hit back with Campbell and Kinnear taking advantage of a short boundaries on the leg-side and behind the bowler to smack four sixes between them.

Campbell went on to make 48 and Kinnear a sizzling 60 off 31 balls before both fell to Jamie Keating’s flighted spin.

Jamie finished with a 3 for 33 off 5 to take him closer to the magic 50-wicket mark as The Road stabilised and finished the innings by keeping the Dors below 200.

Dan Howard and Jack Caesar were the only others to bag a wicket along with Adam’s as The Road scraped a league bowling point and kept the Dors to one batting point.

At lunch it seemed like honours were even with The Road confident that without a collapse a win was on the cards at the Pelicans Cricket Club ground.

Openers Sham de Silva and Raju Mazumder strode out but by the third over Sham was back in the hutch for a two-ball duck, edging behind to the keeper.

Raju and Leon then dug in against some very accurate bowling and – despite looking comfortable at the crease – the scoring rate plummeted.

When Raju went, throwing caution to the wind to be caught for 20 (that’s £20 to his Runs Mean Funds campaign), the pair had put on 56 but in 16 overs.

The Road now needed a shot-in-the-arm, but the two men lined up to do it both fell soon after in identical circumstances.

Matt G was first up, hitting 11 in 10 balls before directing a ball from Patterson straight down short mid-on’s throat.

Jack followed three balls later having hit a mighty 6, but then also playing into short mid-on’s hands off the same bowler.

In-form Jon was next in and he did start connecting. With Leon still at the other end, Jon hit 46 off 32 balls, including four 4s and two much-needed maximums.

Even Leon got in on the act, top edging a 6 into the road outside the ground.

But it was no-where near enough and by the time Jon was trapped LBW by Man of the Match Kinnear having put on 66 with Leon, The Road were already sunk.

Captain for the day Dan S had a brief five-ball stay at the crease, also hitting a 6, before the innings closed with him on 7 and Leon 58.

The Road returned from their trip to the country having suffered a third defeat to Corridor CC and gained only two bonus league points.

But those points were enough to keep them top of the LPL, even if the Dors have only played once in the league.

Next up The Road were due to play their second away game of the weekend out in the suburbs of Sidcup.