Bhatia blasts ton on return from IPL

The 36-year-old smashed 110 from 86 balls before taking 2-20 from his 11.3 overs, including the final Lichfield wicket in the penultimate over of the Third Division match.

Skipper Mark Downes was full of praise for Bhatia, who played for the Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL this season, but also highlighted the efforts of his top order, who put on 114 runs for the first two wickets.

"It was the best start that we've got off to this season, and it gave Rajat a good platform to come in and play with freedom," said Downes. "He played a magnificent innings. The thing about Rajat is he doesn't make a mistake, he punishes anything that's slightly wide or short. He paced his innings perfectly."

Newport set Lichfield 269 to win but the visitors realised they weren't going to reach that total half-way through their innings and dug in for the draw.

"They were just trying to stay in really, we had some quite attacking fields," said Downes. "It was the eighth wicket they had quite a long partnership, and it looked like they were going to hang on."

When Downes snagged Lichfield's overseas player Wade Van Zyl to put them nine down, the writing was on the wall for the visitors, but it was fitting that man of the match Bhatia rounded things off with the wicket of Adam Peat lbw.

The Delhi-born all-rounder is staying with Newport for the rest of the season and Downes hopes his return will kick-start a surge up the table for the side currently sitting second-bottom after six games.

"It might sound ridiculous, but our aim is still to win the league," he said. "We still think we can. It's a long way off, but if we get ourselves out of the bottom four, let's see where we are in August and we might be able to have a run at it.

"Two seasons ago we were in Division Three and got relegated, we don't want to be going back down again that's for sure.

"It's still early days in the season, but we've got to think that we can win it."

Newport face Aston Manor next, before games against Whitchurch and Worfield.

"The next few weeks we've got teams all around the lower part of the league with us," said Downes. "If we can have a good run we can get out of trouble, and for the first time we're at full strength."

Third-bottom Worfield put on a disappointing performance losing at home to league leaders Pershore.