After the previous weekend’s soggy abandonment, the Methodists welcomed ten-man Cleeve Seconds to a sunny Norton Hill.

The visitors opted to bat first, Andy Martin (31) and Alex Nicholls (21) getting things going with a decent stand of 33, but eventually Nicholls’ luck ran out and he was caught at the sixth time of asking!

A brilliant caught-and-bowled from Mark Robinson quickly had Cleeve two-down, but Martin and new batter, Terry Horler, were then able to put on 28 for the third wicket before Martin was finally dismissed by Josh Potter.

Horler and his skipper, George Parsons, had got the score into the nineties when Parsons was run out, followed quickly by the wicket of the watchful Horler. Alex Nash (3–17) and James Green (2–9) then quickly skittled the youthful Cleeve tail – the Away team posting a modest 111 all out at the break.

After tea, the Methodists’ top-order were again strangled by Cleeve’s super-slow bowling attack of Terry Horler and Kelston Crew. Horler was especially destructive – after Crew had claimed the dangerous Nash in single-figures, he caused the downfall of batsmen two, three and four, while conceding just ten runs during his tidy spell.

Although the home side were now 37–4, they had kept up with the required run-rate and new batsmen, Mark Robinson and Stuart Green, were able to patiently put on fifty, getting the team to within 25 runs of victory.

Despite losing partners late on, Robinson (43*) was able to finally get the Methodists across the line with four overs to spare to win by the margin of four wickets. Daniel Shearn