Chilcompton batted first upon winning the toss and got off to a good start – Adam Deverill and Mark Colbourne putting on forty for the first wicket in ten overs.
Josh Potter claimed Colbourne’s wicket for 23 with a low-bouncing delivery, but Deverill was in belligerent form, adding a further 56 runs with Dave Hazell before Methodists’ skipper, Stuart Green, finally removed him for 67, which included three mighty sixes. Simon Tandy and Dave Travis (22), took the visitors past 150 and looked to be building a sizeable total, until a brace of double-wicket maidens from Meths’ opening bowler, Daniel Shearn, (4-15), effectively put the brakes on the Chilcompton innings. When the last man was nimbly run out by James Green in the last over, only 161 runs had been posted, which represented a good fight back by the home side.
However, the Methodists’ run-chase began badly – losing a wicket to Deverill (4–23) with the first ball bowled and thereafter none of the top order batsmen were able to dominate the visitors’ attack. Easterling, Christer, Burgess and White all bowled tidily, but Craig Eyles’ 23 and Stuart Green’s 28 were the pick of the home team’s efforts, and at 97 for 7, it was pretty much all over.
Some late consolation for the Methodists was Josh Potter’s innings of 15, his best for the club, which showed some of his latent batting talent. His eighth wicket stand of 23 with Shearn helped the total into three figures and a final scramble secured a second batting point, before the last wicket fell with the score on 125 – Chilcompton finally securing a well-deserved victory by 36 runs.
Daniel Shearn