CHILCOMPTON SPORTS 2nds 148-3 BEDMINSTER 5ths 145 all-out

The sun shone blisteringly down on the CSG on Saturday, for a forty-pointer against a youthful Bedminster Fifths, where a win would guarantee Chilcompton Seconds promotion.

Skipper, Jonty Burgess, got things started in the right way by winning the toss and choosing to bowl. When the openers were put in two minds whether to take a quick single early on, Tom Hancock was in only one – to send a bullet-throw into the gloves of the wicketkeeper for a clear run-out.

Not to be outdone, Sean White produced a great spell to put the Chilies firmly in the ascendancy, jagging the ball into Bedminster’s right-handers and floating up his trademark dipping yorkers. First he produced a false shot from the other opener, that was swept straight upwards and caught comfortably behind by Adam Marshall.

But it was his fifth over that delivered three wickets in six balls. One clean bowled, a caught-and-bowled and finally an LBW that left the visitors 23-for-5. White would bowl through for season best figures of 8-20-4, while the unlucky Matt Rivers had the ball talking from the other end, too (8-19-0).

Captain, Chris Giles began to play his shots when John Burgess (8-25-0) and Clive Christer (4-39-1) threw him a few too many full-tosses. At 110-7, Giles had pulled his team back into the game (and the promotion hunt) – enter Jon Loud, and one of the balls of the season; a rapid in-seaming full-lengther. The Captain was out for 60, and while the tail wagged a little, Jon Loud’s (6.2-16-3) frightening pace and lightning accuracy secured maximum bowling points and a target of 146.

Marshall and Rivers set about the run-chase with the former scoring 18 confident runs before being clean-bowled. Rivers (27) was going along scratchily when he was joined by the far more fluid Tom Hancock (44 from 44 balls), who soon started to let fly to all parts of the ground in the commanding way that has become his trademark.

When Simon Tandy partnered him at the crease with exactly 70 more runs required, the two really began taking apart the remainder of the bowling attack. Ten overs of clean hitting and hard running later, and the deficit was down to within 15. Tandy (28*) finished the job by blasting a four-over-midwicket and Chilcompton into Division Twelve with a seven-wicket victory.

Chilcompton take a one-point lead at the top of the table to bottom-placed Barrow Gurney next weekend to try and take the Division Thirteen title.