CRICKET: Taunton Deane see off Midsomer Norton

TAUNTON St Andrew’s are 11 points adrift from safety at the bottom of the Premier 1 table, as a blistering century from Somerset prospect Ed Byrom could not save them from a 75-run defeat at Lansdown on Saturday.

The hosts chose to bat first, and soon the Saints bowlers were toiling.

Lansdown had 41 on the board when Ryan Thorpe (23) fell to Jack Cooper (2-56 off nine overs), and a massive 279 when the second wicket arrived.

Jordan Smith helped himself to 115 (off 123 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Oskar Kolk 131 (off 124 balls, with eight fours and five sixes), before Jordan Smith added a quickfire 61 from just 20 balls.

James Hayman (1-50 off nine) and James Regan (1-60 off six) claimed wickets for Saints, but at some cost as the home side racked up 360 from their 50 overs.

The visitors would need to score big and fast, but found themselves 20-3 with Tom Fogerty (3-33 off seven) removing both openers.

Saints needed a partnership; Byrom and Regan provided it, taking their side up to 129.

But after Regan (50) fell, more wickets followed at regular intervals as no-one was able to stay with Byrom.

His stellar knock of 152 (off 122 balls, with 20 fours) ended when he was caught off the bowling of Kolk (2-20 off three), and at 270-9 it was game over.

Luke Poole cracked 18 off 10 balls at the death but he was the last man out with Saints 75 runs short.

In desperate need of a win, Saints head to third-bottom Clevedon this coming Saturday (12.30pm start).

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WEPL Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset
Taunton Deane 266 beat Midsomer Norton 198 by 68 runs

TAUNTON Deane hold a seven-point lead at the top of Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset, after seeing off Midsomer Norton by 68 runs at the Convent Field on Saturday.

The Deane won the toss and chose to bat, with opener Rob Woodman going on to make the biggest score of the afternoon.

He amassed 77 from 84 balls (with nine fours and two sixes), but saw both of his first two partners – Charlie Sharlan (18) and Tenessee Harlow (6) – removed by Gary Filer (2-40 off 10).

Woodman was ultimately stumped off the bowling of Harrison Veale (1-23 off five), but there were plenty of runs in the middle order.

Harry Thomas stepped up with a score of 45 and Calvin Harrison a run-a-ball 50 not out.

Josh Sutton (3-44 off 10) accounted for Thomas, and then Harry Smith (2) and Jamie Stephens (21), to give the visitors more hope.

Nick Pang (2-47 off 10) also chipped in, but the home side lasted the full 50 overs, with Edward Mellor (2) being run out from the last ball.

Harrison was still there, the Deane having made 266 to set their opponents a challenging chase.

There was no early joy for the home attack, with Norton openers John Carroll (32) and John Robins (23) hanging around for the opening 10 overs.

But they then fell to Harrison (3-33 off 10) and Stephens (1-28 off 10), with Nick Cox (8) and Luke Justin (0) soon following to give Harlow (2-39 off 10) his first wicket and Harrison his second.

Visiting captain Pang was more resilient, sticking about for 72 (from 80 balls), with support coming his way from middle order players Daniel Dredge (28) and Sutton (15).

Yet, once Harrison had Dredge caught and bowled for his third wicket and Harlow saw Sutton caught by Mellor, Norton’s chances were slipping away.

It was over to Matt Derham (3-41 off six) to finish the job, crucially clean bowling the dangerous Pang.

He followed that up by seeing off Filer (4) and Daniel Chard (0), dismissing the visitors for 198, from 46 overs, which gave the home side a 68-run margin of victory.

The Deane collected 20 points from the match, while Winterbourne picked up 22 from a 247-run thrashing of Weston-super-Mare to trim the leaders’ advantage to seven points at the halfway stage in the season.

The Deane host Ilminster this Saturday (12.30pm), having won the reverse fixture by just one wicket on the opening day of the season.

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WEPL Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset
Taunton 134-5 beat North Perrott 133 by 5 wkts

JAMES Hayes starred with a four-wicket haul as Taunton picked up a crucial win away to mid-table side North Perrott on Saturday.

Having dismissed their hosts for 133, Will Abell’s unbeaten 32 led Taunton to an 18-point haul that keeps them in touch with their relegation rivals going into the second half of the season.

Perrott won the toss and elected to bat first, but it was a day for the bowlers – Hayes struck first ball, trapping Gordon Whorlow lbw.

Hayes soon had a second, dismissing George Retter (2) at 16-2, and when James Clark (2-31 off 10 overs) saw off Pete Moxom (21), it was 36-3.

Alex Eckland (24) and Jack Henderson (26) rebuilt for a while, only for Abell (2-37 off 10) to remove Eckland and Sam Rowswell in successive balls, leaving the hosts 65-5.

Jake Symes (26) came in to join Henderson, who became Clark’s second victim with the score on 90.

Symes dug in but his only real support came from Josh Marshall-James (14), as Max Toohey (1-28 off 10) and the returning Hayes (4-15 off seven) concluded the home side’s innings with seven overs going unused.

The bowlers had clearly held the upper hand in that innings, and it looked like more of the same could follow as Taunton pursued 134 to win.

Stacy Hawes (3-30 off 10) accounted for each of the visitors’ top three batsmen, dismissing Richard Glover (8), Bertie Preston (10) and Jesse Vertongen (12) to leave Taunton tottering a bit on 35-3.

The away side needed a partnership, and Dan Quick (20) and skipper Hugh Kelly (28) provided it.

They battled their way to 73, at which point Quick fell to the spin of Lorraine Szczepanski (1-29 off nine).

Kelly departed with the score 109-5 – again to spin, this time from Whorlow (1-20 off six) – and there was still work to be done.

Fortunately for Taunton, Abell (32no) was able to deliver the high score of the day, and joined by Ben Chaffey (11no) he took the visitors to the finish in 41 overs.

Taunton sit second from bottom at the halfway point of the league season, but they can take confidence from a win that sees them sitting just one point behind third-bottom Keynsham and seven points off Weston-super-Mare.

This coming Saturday (12.30pm start) brings a trip to fourth-placed Midsomer Norton, who won the reverse fixture at Gipsy Lane by 20 runs on the opening day of the season.