AN excellent second-wicket partnership of 196 was pivotal in Chard’s resounding defeat against Lansdown on Saturday in the Bristol and Somerset division of the West of England Premier League.

Lansdown won the toss and elected to bat and it proved a wise decision by their skipper Ashley Book.

Although Philip Smith struck early for Chard to remove opener Graeme Lomas for six with the score on 26, it saw the arrival of Chris Barker at the crease.

He and opener Craig Miles then smashed their way to respective centuries as they piled on the runs for Lansdown.

Barker finally went on 105 from just 97 deliveries in an innings which included 15 boundaries.

He departed having been caught by Chris Scott off of the bowling of Robert Glentworth.

The same pairing and combination also worked to remove Miles for 112 whose 129-ball innings had included three sixes and 14 boundaries.

Lansdown were now on 232-3 and it soon became 237-4 when Tom Naylor went cheaply for Glentworth’s third wicket of the day.

With the damage having already been done, however, Tom Davies added on 45 runs from just 22 balls as Lansdown closed on 293-5 from their 50 overs.

It was a bad day for the Chard bowlers with Jon Dalwood being punished for 85 runs for his solitary wicket, while skipper John Scott saw his three overs shelve 36 runs and Andre Sochon bowled two overs for 19.

Chard lost early wickets and the game was over as a contest with the score having moved onto 28-3 with openers Glentworth, Jake Hayes and number three Scott Wells-Burr all back in the hutch cheaply.

Joel Tratt and Jon Dalwood then steadied the ship before Dalwood fell for 29.

Emlyn Kuhn entered the fray and he and Tratt then took the score onto 151 before Tratt departed just two runs short of his 50.

Kuhn became wicket number six when he was for 61 off of 77 deliveries.

Although Chard suffered a heavy 106-run defeat, it was to their credit that they managed to lose just seven wickets considering their disappointing opening.

Chard remain in fourth spot in the table and on Saturday travel to third-placed Bristol West Indians looking to bounce back to winning ways.