West of England Premier League
Somerset Division
Chard 1st XI (86-4 - revised target 86 from 20 overs) beat Minehead 1st XI (166 all out) by six wickets

CHARD picked up a timely first victory of the season in the WEPL Somerset Division, winning a rain-affected match by six wickets to leapfrog their opponents.

The hosts won the toss and put Minehead in to bat, which looked an excellent decision as they tore through their opponents’ order.

Andrew Stevens (6) was trapped lbw by Scott Wells-Burr, and Angus Marsh then went for a duck (caught behind by Nathan Warren off Pete Moxom) to leave the visitors 12-2.

Wells-Burr returned to remove Liam Muggeridge for a duck, before opener Ian Buchanan (12) was caught and bowled by Jon Dalwood.

Chris Scott then dismissed both Dan Bowditch (1) and Freddie Wilson (6), and Minehead were 38-6.

Matt Sully and Charlie Tudball staved off fears of a humiliation, steering the away side up to 93 before Tudball (26) was caught by Matthew Micale off Dalwood.

Dalwood also removed Ellis Taylor (1), but Jay Darrell (26no) combined with Sully to drag the Minehead score upwards.

Richard Scott finally dismissed Sully (lbw) for 56, at 143-9, and Jonathan Scott bowled Harry Tudball (12) to have the visitors all out for 166 off 46.5 overs.

Dalwood took 3-26 for Chard, with both Chris Scott and captain Wells-Burr 2-31.

The weather meant a revised target for the hosts – 86 from 20 overs, and the openers scored 11 apiece before Nathan Johnson was caught and bowled by Taylor and Wells-Burr retired not out.

Pete Moxom (6) was run out and Harvey Dening (2) trapped lbw byBuchanan, but Matthew Micale’s 26 effectively won it for Chard.

He was bowled by Buchanan at 71-4, but Dalwood and Jonathan Scott (both 7no) saw them to the target of 86 in 16.4 overs.

Chard collected 18 points to Minehead’s four, and that was enough to move them off the bottom of the table, ahead of Minehead by a point.

Only nine points separate Minehead (49 points) from Wellington (58 points) in sixth, so Chard are in the middle of a dogfight between five teams.

They are at Wellington this Saturday (1pm start), their opponents having won two straight matches – Chard will need to be on their game to keep climbing the table.

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West of England Premier League
Somerset Division
North Perrott 1st XI (170-9) beat North Petherton 1st XI (117 all out) by 53 runs

JOSHUA Marshall-James and Jake Symes took three wickets apiece as North Perrott won their sixth straight game to stay top of the WEPL Somerset Division.

Away to mid-table North Petherton, Perrott won the toss and chose to bat – openers Gordon Whorlow and George Retter reached 30 before Retter went for 18, caught by Ian Blackwell off Will Pope.

Pope struck again to remove Troy Johnson (5), and when Paul Short had Symes trapped lbw for 18 and Blackwell removed Alex Eckland for a duck, the visitors looked in trouble at 64-4.

Captain Whorlow was still at the crease, though, and he partnered Nick Taylor (15) and Craig Jones (29) up to the 150 mark.

But then disaster struck, as Perrott lost three wickets for one run.

Lewis Knight saw off Jones, Brad Porteous dismissed Marshall-James for a first-ball duck, and then Whorlow was run out by Harry Bowditch for 51.

Josh Giddings made 14 before falling to Pope (who ended with 3-29), but the visitors’ total of 170-9 from 50 overs looked very much within reach.

Chard & Ilminster News:

SQUAD: North Perrott 1st XI: back row (left to right) - Nic Taylor, Jamie England, Stacey Hawes, George Retter, Will Ireland; front row - Jonny Ireland, Craig Jones, Jake Symes, Gordon Whorlow (captain), Josh Marshall-James, Troy Johnson.

That meant the onus was on the bowlers, and Marshall-James got off to a fast start by dismissing both openers, Lloyd Irish (5) and Tom Williams (14), to leave the hosts 31-2.

Stacy Hawes then struck twice to remove Porteous (7) and Blackwell (1), with Marshall-James claiming skipper Owen Irish (1) as his third wicket.

Pethy were in serious bother at 43-5, and more when Johnson had Paul Short (19) caught by Marshall-James at 76-6.

Bowditch and Lewis Irish built a vital seventh-wicket partnership to take their side past 100, but Symes then entered the fray and dismissed Irish (22) and Lewis Knight (0) off successive balls for 106-8.

Bowditch was trapped lbw by Eckland for 19, and Symes wrapped it up, having Liam Winter (9) caught by Johnson, meaning Pethy were all out for 117 off 41.4 overs.

Symes finished on 3-6 off just 1.4 overs, with Marshall-James 3-25 and Hawes 2-30.

Perrott claimed 19 points to Pethy’s five, to sit 11 clear of Weston-super-Mare at the league summit.

This coming Saturday the league leaders are at home to third-placed Bridgwater 2nds (1pm start).