West of England Premier Cricket League 
Somerset Division
Minehead 309-7 beat Staplegrove 305-6 by 3 wkts

MINEHEAD claimed their second successive win on Saturday after a scintillating run chase at Staplegrove.

Batting first, the home side got off to a steady start with Tom and Jake Pantling seeing off the new ball with considerable ease as the Minehead bowlers failed to find any real consistency.

It wasn’t until the score had reached 109 when Dan Bowditch (1-42) made the important breakthrough, clean bowling Jake Pantling for 46.

New man Ian Bishop could only muster 19 before being caught at cover off Liam Muggeridge (2-67), but Pantling was still accumulating runs at a progressively swift rate as he went to a fine 100 that included 20 fours.

His stay didn’t last much longer, however, as he was trapped lbw by Muggeridge attempting a reverse sweep, ending on 107.

By this time Ben Howe was fully into his stride as he raced to his 50 before finally being removed by Ian Buchanan (2-56) for 63.

Richard Rowe (31) struck a couple of sixes of his own as he guided his side to a defendable total of 305-6.

The Minehead reply started in similar fashion to the hosts’, as Buchanan and captain Andrew Stevens played watchfully early on while latching onto anything loose.

The score had reached 46 before Buchanan edged behind off the bowling of Matt Dimond for 28.

Braden Taylor (28) was the replacement, and he wasted no time in helping himself to a boundary early on, and Stevens reciprocated with a couple of his own before both fell in quick succession.

Last week’s hero Muggeridge was clean bowled for just seven, and Alastair Harrison (11) and Bowditch (14) shared four boundaries between them before both falling, to leave their side facing an uphill battle at 167-6.

Freddie Wilson and Darren Sherring came together, however, and they quickly took a liking to the spin of Howe (1-57) and Tom Pantling (3-61), both finding the boundary with consummate ease.

Wilson was first past 50, before falling for a 25-ball 55 with the score on 250.

Sherring continued his onslaught with the help of Jay Darrell (23no) as the pair reduced the deficit to 20 required from three overs.

Sherring proceeded to strike two consecutive sixes and a four to bring up an exhilarating half-century.

He finished on 64 not out, and Darrell cleverly guided the third ball of the next over for four to complete a remarkable run chase in which 170 runs came from the last 20 overs.

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WEPL Somerset Division
Weston-super-Mare 264-3 beat Wellington 158 by 106 runs

WELLINGTON became the latest team to suffer defeat at the hands of Somerset Division leaders Weston-super-Mare on Saturday, going down by 106 runs.

Hosts Weston won the toss and chose to bat, and Wellington picked up a quick breakthrough as Luke Desave clean bowled Simon Green for seven.

That was as good as it got for the visitors for some time, however, as Andy Fear and Somerset wicketkeeper Ryan Davies set about taking apart the Wellington attack.

Both brought up centuries as they added 198 runs for the second wicket before Fear fell to the bowling of Arron Campbell for exactly 100.

Will Derrick then bowled Chris Davidson (23), but Davies remained unbeaten on 106 as the hosts declared on 264-3.

In reply, Wellington lost an early wicket before Kayden Hine and Alex Sparks took the score to 68-1.

The dismissal of Hine for 13 led to a collapse, however, with only captain Sparks holding firm before he was the ninth man out two short of his century.

Ryan Adams (14) was the only other player to reach double figures as Wellington were bowled out for 158, with former Somerset bowler Charl Willoughby taking 3-15.

Wellington take on the side directly below them, Staplegrove, at home on Saturday.