West of England Premier League 
Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset
Taunton 220-7 beat Shapwick & Polden 217-8 by three wickets

TAUNTON maintained third place in the table with a three-wicket win at home to Shapwick & Polden.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first, with openers Sam Edmunds (41) and Alex Ralston (26) making a very positive start, reaching 54 without loss.

Blake Coburn had Edmunds trapped lbw and Wayne Spencer (5) caught behind by Dan Quick (one of three catches for the Taunton wicketkeeper), as captain Ben Phillips removed Ralston and William Easterfield dismissed Steven Spencer for a duck.

But Shapwick scored well, as captain Ben Rudge hit 31, Lee Edmunds 26 and Harry Woolway 35no, as the away side made 217-8 from their 50 overs.

The wickets were shared between the Taunton attack, with Coburn taking 3-38, Justin Burke 2-33 and Phillips 1-19.

The hosts’ reply got off to a solid enough start, reaching 35 before Charles Clist departed on 14.

Clist’s fellow opener Hugh Kelly made 58 and Dan Quick 28, only for three wickets to fall with the total stuck on 106.

Jack Cooper (15) and Grant Davey (22) got Taunton moving again, up to 145, and that left Tom Diamond (26no) and Phillips (22no) to score the winning runs – the home side reaching 220 in 47.2 overs.

Taunton took 19 points from the win to stay in third – but only six points separate them from fifth-placed Ilminster, their next opponents.

That match, at Ilminster’s Recreation Ground this Saturday, has a 12.30pm start.

WEPL Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset
Glastonbury 331-6 beat Taunton Deane 231-8 by 100 runs

TAUNTON Deane’s mixed start to the season continued, as a monster 142 not out from Glastonbury’s Harry Ellison gave the visitors victory by 100 runs.

Glastonbury won the toss and elected to bat, yet they lost both openers cheaply, with Alfie Barron (7) and Cameron Rowe (6) falling to Rob Pryke and Tom Walsh, respectively.

But that only served to bring Ellison to the crease, the wicketkeeper smashing an unbeaten 142 off 129 balls (with 19 fours).

With captain Josh Beal (56) and Ali Easton (53) adding half-centuries, the Glastonbury total of 331-6 looked almost insurmountable.
Pryke (2-38) and Calvin Harrison (2-53) were the pick of the Deane bowlers.

As with Glastonbury, both of the hosts’ openers went early, Phil Saxby going for 4 and Henry Mellor for 9.

Third man in Harrison made 77 off 80 balls, but even with Alastair Warren (39) and Sam Burgess (39no) in decent nick, Deane were 100 runs short, ending their 50 overs on 231-8.

Barron took 3-50 and Dan Williams 2-33 for Glastonbury.

The result leaves Taunton Deane in seventh place, seven points behind Keynsham in sixth but only two points ahead of Shapwick & Polden.

It is Shapwick whom they travel to face this coming Saturday (12.30pm).

WEPL Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset
Taunton St Andrew’s 178-2 beat Keynsham 174-8 by eight wickets

OPENING batsmen James Regan and Eddie Byrom laid the foundations for Taunton St Andrew’s impressive eight-wicket victory at Keynsham on Saturday.

It marked a return to form for the league leaders, after their first defeat of the season the weekend before, by 53 runs at second-placed Bishopston.

Visitors St Andrew’s won the toss and elected to field, gaining their reward as Joe Wadham removed opener Chris Gwyther (1) early on.

Russ Wakefield (22) and Reg Keates (66) were the only players to pass 20 for the home side, as Lloyd Alley (4-24) proved a thorn in their side.

The other wickets were spread out across the attack, as Keynsham ended their 50 overs on 174-8.

Saints’ chase saw Byrom make 73 before becoming the first of Sam Wheller’s (2-61) victims.

Regan, though, stayed in the middle and he steered the chase home alongside Alley (adding 27no to his earlier four-wicket haul) to walk off with an unbeaten 72 to his name.

The finishing line came with plenty of time to spare, as they reached 178-2 in 23.1 overs.

A fifth win in six matches – and 21 points – mean that Saints stay top of the division, with a 13-point margin over their chasers-in-chief Bishopston.

This coming Saturday, the table-toppers host Lansdown (12.30pm).
Lansdown are bottom of the league, with no wins and five defeats from six matches, and their last outing saw them defeated by six wickets at home by Bishopston.