Visitors Failand and Portbury asked the Methodists to bat first on a pitch which favoured the bowlers, and the opening attack of Phillip Dungey and Andrew Pogorzelski made good use of it – restricting the home side to 45 runs from the initial sixteen overs.
David Baker and Alex Nash played patiently to add 41 for the second wicket, before Nash (29) was eventually snared off the final ball of Dungey’s (2–25) spell. Baker (26) then anchored the innings until the 27th over when Neil Harrison (2–40) eventually got his man. Craig Eyles (37) and ’keeper/batsman, Dave Sackett (21*), added a very useful 37 for the sixth wicket, before a quick-fire nineteen from Josh Potter helped Sackett bump the final total up to a competitive 153 for 7 at tea.
After the break, the Methodists’ opening bowlers, Daniel Shearn (1–12) and Craig Eyles (2–22), then emulated their opposite numbers with a tight initial burst, which conceded only 34 runs in sixteen overs.
Opening batsman, James Marsden (26) was one of only two of the Failand side to reach double-figures, batting until the 27th over, when James Sackett (3–23) eventually finished off a great spell by claiming his wicket.
The Methodist bowlers all picked up at least one victim as the visitors’ partnerships were regularly broken; but the game wasn’t safe until the big-hitting Rob Moran (28) was well caught by a diving Mark Robinson in the 36th over.
The eventual margin of victory was 57 runs; Nash picking up the final wicket with 96 on the board and setting the Methodists up for a crucial final three games of the BDCA
season.
Daniel Shearn