Bath CC 3rd XI v Cleeve CC 1st XI

Bath CC 3rd XI v Cleeve CC 1st XI

Bath’s 3rd XI continued their winning run by beating Cleeve’s 1st XI on Saturday.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Bath’s opening batters Alex Woodward and Sam Simmons start the innings positively taking the score up to 36 without loss before Woodward (17) was run out. Number three, Bill Simmons (3) and son, Sam Simmons (21) then followed in quick succession to leave the home side, 61-3. Number four, Will Poulton then started to rebuild Bath’s innings and despite losing John Bean (13) and Dan Hope (8), when skipper Tim Scott came to the crease, these two batters combined well to add 150 runs for the 6th wicket before Scott went for 86 off just 60 balls. Poulton (91) was then run out just nine runs short of his maiden 3rd team century just before Bath posted a very competitive 285-7 from their 40 overs.

Cleeve’s reply saw opener Mitchell Want (7) depart early, but then Karabo Motlhanka combined well firstly with James Tucker (20) and Jack Spiers (42) to take the away side up to 158-3 when Spiers departed, needing a further 127 runs to win from just 13 overs. But with ten runs an over required nobody stayed for long with Motlhanka, and he departed for an excellent 121 shortly before Downend completed their innings on 254-8, 31 runs short of Bath’s CC’s total. Pick of the Bath bowlers were Joe Prescott (3-52), Tim Scott (2-39), and Will Poulton (2-19).