Chilcompton were asked to bat first and took some time to get going, scoring only 21 runs in the first ten overs.
Kyle Gloudmans was the man who got things moving, his third-wicket stand of 34 with skipper, Dave Travis, giving the hosts some momentum and, in partnership, with the destructive Tim Fussell, was soon racking up a decent score.
The pair added eighty in twelve overs before both Gloudmans (51) and Fussell (62) were dismissed as Chilcompton looked to add quick runs at the tail-end of their innings. But a late flurry of wickets from David Baker (4–22) and Stuart Green (2–38) halted Chilcompton’s acceleration as the side slumped from 148–3 to 163–9 in the final four overs.
After tea, the Methodists made an even worse start to their reply, early wickets from Mark Easterling (2–26) and Clive Christer (1–25) reducing them to 15–3 in the seventh over.
Fortunately for the Meths, both Alex Nash and Stuart Green (28) were then able to continue their recent good form as they combined to add a solid 82 and pull the visitors back into the game.
Nash’s measured 52 proved the catalyst for the innings, the scoring rate surging towards the end as James Green joined his father to thump a rapid 45, the pair putting on 58 for the fifth wicket and taking the Methodists to their target with fourteen balls to spare.
Daniel Shearn