Bradley Stoke Thirds 129 all out v Methodists 142–9

A warm, sunny afternoon found the Methodists travelling across Bristol to play top-of-the-table Bradley Stoke Thirds who, on winning the toss, invited the visitors to bat first on their artificial pitch.

The opening batsmen got things off to a quick start before Andy Elliott made the first breakthrough for the home side. George Malin then accounted for the other opener, bringing David Baker (28) to the middle to join Craig Eyles (35), and the pair of all-rounders took the score up to eighty by the innings’ halfway point.

Unfortunately for the Methodists, despite some lovely shots, their batsmen kept perishing and their promising platform failed to grow into a sizable total. Young Harry Escott (3–15) and Sam Hunter (2–6) bowled tidily in tandem for the final fourteen overs, as the batting side slumped from 120–4 to post a modest 142–9 at tea.

Bradley Stoke’s reply began steadily, but it was never allowed to gain much momentum by the accurate opposition bowlers. Even so, by the 29th over Jon Tickner and John Rivers had pushed on and seemed to have things under control, with just 37 more runs needed. However, Richard Turner’s dismissal of Rivers (32) got a foot in the door for the visitors, and when Tickner (45) also went four overs later, it was deja vu all over again for the home team. Eyles (3–20, and claiming his 500th wicket for the club) and Mark Robinson (3–11) heaped pressure on the lower-order batters, and some committed fielding tightened the Methodists’ grip as they remembered their improbable victory on the same ground two years earlier.

Unfortunately for the hosts, they slipped up again, going from 106–2 to 129 all out in just nine overs, as amazingly lightning did strike twice for the

Methodists. Daniel Shearn