Ben Patterson, so often the hero with the ball for Rugby, chimed in with a late 37 not out to get his side home after they recovered from 6-100.

Despite the win, Rugby captain Jordan Moran was critical of his side’s performance which in recent weeks hasn’t matched the standard they showed in the early rounds.

“We’re on top of the ladder but we’re not playing our best cricket, especially with the bat, so lots of improvement and thinking is needed over the Christmas break,” he said.

After winning the toss and batting, things started poorly for the Cougars when Matt Burgess was bowled by Dan Horrocks without scoring.

After slumping to 5-79 Matt Ellis and Todd Summers combined for an valuable 89-run partnership, lifting the run rate as the innings wore on.

Ellis finished with an very well-made 66 not out while Summers made 48 not out as CYMS finished at 5-169 after their 40 overs.

Missing regular bowlers Ben Taylor and Adrian Carey, Mitch Bower impressed with his spin for Rugby, taking 1-17 from his eight overs while Horrocks, Patterson, Jacob Hill and Blake Watmore were the other wicket-takers.

In reply, Mitch Bower and Ryan Medley got Rugby off to a flying start as they reached 50 in just the fourth over but Cougars captain Ben O’Donnell’s early bowling changes paid dividends as Bower (48), Medley (29) and Harry Kempston (0) fell in quick succession.

Dale O’Donnell returned to the attack to dismiss Hill and when Josh Ware took a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Moran, followed by Michael Kempston coming and going without scoring, CYMS had all the momentum.

But the experience of Nathan Munro, combined with the youthful energy of Patterson, was enough to see last season’s runners-up close out the game with 8.2 overs to spare. Moran said he was proud to see the pair seal the win.

“I was very happy with that, I know Nath is capable of playing innings like that but it was good to see ‘Patto’, a bloke nearly 18, batting under pressure and getting us home, so that’s a positive,” he said.

Nick Guthrie finished with 5-41 for the Cougars while Dale O’Donnell was the other wicket-taker. Despite still being without a win this season, Moran had some words of encouragement for the men in green.

“I’ve got to give CYMS credit for their attitude each week and their mentality and the way they approach the game,” he said. 

“They’ve copped a bit of a pounding week to week but if they stick at it they’ll get a few wins and they gave us a good run for our money.”

But Moran was a lot more critical when it came to his own side, saying things definitely need to be better when they return to the field in 2014.

“It was a pretty second-grade performance with bat and ball. We just have to improve our discipline, it’s a big thing we’re trying to push and it’s just not where it needs to be at the moment,” he said.