The Methodists were asked to bat first on a hard Golden Hill wicket and made a solid start, adding 24 in eight overs before losing a wicket. Opener Mark Robinson (34) played nicely to record the visitors’ best score, but the other batsmen again got in and then got out too quickly to post a substantial total.
The bowling of YMCA’s Jon Parrett (3-17) and Ankar Gupta (3-26) made sure that the home side always had a measure of control and, despite a late rally from Stuart Green and Dave Sackett, the Methodists were only able to post a modest 147-8 at tea.
After the break, the Methodists’ bowlers were initially able to keep the YMCA batsmen in check – only 21 runs coming off the opening ten overs – but Alex Carr and Theo Parrett eventually started to build some momentum.
The pair added 33 before Parrett skyed a catch from the final ball of Daniel Shearn’s (2-13) tidy opening spell, bringing the experienced Keith Milsom to the crease to join the now motoring Carr.
These two then added 45 runs in eleven overs before Milsom fell to a sharp catch at backward square – Carr (48) and Dave Collard (26*) then virtually guiding the hosts to the winning post with a stand of fifty (Carr being run out with five runs still needed) and rounding off a five-wicket YMCA win with thirteen balls to spare.
Daniel Shearn