The Methodists’ first game of the season, a friendly away at a chilly Horrington, saw the home team batting first. A steady start from Parsons and Lewis saw the hosts reach 25 in the tenth over, before the parsimonious Steve Green (2–10) sent them back to the changing rooms.
Replacing them were Mike Fear and Sam Pardey, whose stand for the third wicket added 61 valuable runs in fifteen overs, giving the innings some impetus and swinging the balance back toward the home team. Fear amassed 45 runs before Stuart Green eventually got through his defences, while Pardey’s 22 was also a useful contribution, the pair putting a total of 150+ well within Horrington’s reach.
Jason De Lange, however, had set his sights even higher. His late onslaught dispatched the Methodists’ bowling to all parts as he racked up six fours and five sixes in an explosive innings, before retiring to the pavilion with 73 to his name – Horrington’s final total of 196 for 5 would take some chasing down.
The Methodists’ reply followed a similar pattern to the first innings – two early wickets for Jack Walker putting the hosts in the ascendency, before Craig Eyles (38) and Richard Jordan’s stand of 45 brought the visitors back into it. De Lange (2–23) eventually dismissed them both in the eighteenth over, then Stuart Green (36) and Paul Justin added another 42 for the fifth wicket, but it was the return of Walker (5–26) that finally extinguished the Methodists’ chances, with three wickets in nine balls leaving the visitors reeling on 144 for 8. Kevin Russell (2–18) then delivered the last rites with the final two wickets, to give Horrington a comfortable win by 52 runs.
D.Shearn