There was a mixture of elation and frustration for the Timsbury Miners’ Under-19 side, who produced two battling performances to reach the final of the Natwest County T20 competition, only for the rain to prevent the final taking place. It is now hoped to hold it at Bridgwater on September 10th.

The county competition saw a total of 28 teams battle it out to reach Finals’ Day, which was held on the grounds of Uphill Castle and Weston-super-Mare Cricket Clubs.

In both the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final the fielding and bowling of the Miners was quite outstanding. In the Quarter-Final they faced Frome Falcons, who they had already met in the group stage of the competition. Batting first, Frome were all out for 77 from 14.2 overs. All of the Miners’ bowlers produced economic spells, with Henry Liddington and Jesse Bishop claiming three wickets each and Jack Scrivens, two victims. Extras of 21 were the highest contribution for the Falcons, with just Taylor Angell and Arthur Harman reaching double figures. There was a similar story in the Timsbury innings, with just Scrivens and Jack Hewish making notable contributions, with an extras tally of sixteen. However, a crucial innings from Scrivens, who retired on forty, was to prove the difference as the Miners won by four wickets with three overs to spare. For the Falcons, Matthew Knight was outstanding, with 3–6 from his three overs.

Batting first in the Semi-Final against Taunton St Andrews, the Miners again struggled with the bat, with only Scrivens and James Rawlings hitting double figures in a total of 65. Travis Green and Jamie Woodland each took three wickets for St Andrews, and there was a brace from Harry Clements. The total seemed below par, but a superb effort in the field saw the Taunton side restricted to 61–9. Miles Hackett was the outstanding bowler, taking 4–3 from his three overs, but there were vital contributions from the whole attack as Taunton slumped to 18–8. A late flurry from Ben Walford, who made 22, saw the Miners sweat, but in a tense finish, they celebrated a four-run win.

Miners’ Manager, Jer Thompson, who has proved an inspirational leader for the squad, was a proud man at the close. He said: “Our bowling and fielding today was exceptional. We need to work on our batting, but the lads never gave up, and I am very proud of them all. Reaching a County Final is a great achievement, and we look forward to the final against the Bridgwater Red Sox.”

Malcolm Tucker