-
Venue:
Bath CC 2nd XI v Portishead CC 1st XI
Bath CC 2nd XI v Portishead CC 1st XI
Bath CC 2nd XI followed up their Somerset Intermediate Knockout Cup win two weeks ago by becoming champions of the B&D Senior Division on Saturday, when they beat Portishead CC by 25 runs.
After Portishead won the toss and asked Bath to bat first, the home side made a solid start before they lost both openers, Joe Weare (11), and Mike Staves (24) with 52 on the board. Charlie Brain and skipper, Charlie Rustell took the score up to 73 when Brain went for 19. Rustell then played a captains knock by compiling a run-a-ball 42 alongside Hamish Bell (38). But when both these batters were out, Bath slumped from 162-7 to 171 All Out, leaving the dangerous Ishwar Suresh stranded on six not out.
Bath’s 171 looked slightly under par, but the opening bowling combination of Harry Allen (4-15) and Toby Eayres (1-28) quickly left Portishead 43-5. It looked like there could only be one winner, but an excellent run-a-ball 69 from Will Cooper gave momentum to the innings, but then off spinner Joe Weare (3-27) got into the action with three quick wickets, including the important wicket of Cooper. Weare then also picked up the final wicket of Matthew Toms bowled for eight, with Portishead 154 All Out, 25 runs short of Bath’s total.