A bone-chillingly cold Norton Hill saw visitors, Bath Fourths, bat first and get a solid start, with Josh Potter picking up the only wicket to fall in the first twenty-five overs.
Bath Captain, Thiaan Aspeling, had joined opener, Nick Groome, after five overs and the pair had, despite an unpredictable pitch, found the boundary on numerous occasions, and would go on to add nearly a hundred runs for the second wicket. Groome, who opened his account with a towering six, eventually retired for a well-made 53, while Aspeling (47) was denied a fifty by a good catch from James Green, but the visitors were still handily placed on 124 for 2.
Vik Prasher then unleashed some fearsome hitting in the final third of the innings; his unbeaten 53 containing nine boundaries including an enormous six – taking toll of some variable Methodist bowling to help the powerful Bath side reach the double-hundred mark in the final over of their innings.
After tea, the Methodists got away well, notching up 22 runs before losing their first wicket. One down swiftly became two down, though, after a needless run-out, but fortunately, Mark Robinson, (28) and Alex Nash, (23), were able to recover things for the home side, bringing up the fifty in the tenth over and suggesting the home team were still right in the game.
Rhys Davey, however, then rapidly changed all that – the wicket of Robinson was the first of five in three overs for the tall spinner, the Methodists’ innings now as chaotic as a presidential press briefing – 56 for 2 quickly becoming 67 for 7. Jude Chua (2–31) and Kate Randall (2–9) then quickly wrapped things up for the visitors, as the home side were
bundled out for just 79 after only 22 of their allotted forty overs – Bath claiming an impressive win by 126 runs.
The Methodists’ batting will need to hold together better next week, as they begin their BDCA league season with a trip to highly-fancied Stanton Drew.
Daniel Shearn