1st XI
Matches
Sat 21 Jul 2018  ·  Prem 2 Bristol/Som
Weston Super Mare CC - 1st XI
215
301/8
Taunton Deane Cricket Club
1st XI
Deane Bask as Weston Sizzle

Deane Bask as Weston Sizzle

Sam Shaikh23 Jul 2018 - 17:56
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Taunton Deane secured a third successive league win away at Weston Super Mare last Saturday as Robert Woodman’s side emerged with the spoils after an 86-run win.

Having lost the toss, the visitors were perhaps a little surprised to be put into bat on a used wicket. However the decision to bowl first seemed well founded as the Deane slipped to 21-2 early on.

After a watchful start against new ball pairing of Charl Willoughby (2-45) and Peter Trego (1-29), warhorse Ali Warren (3) was the first to fall. A searing delivery from Willoughby leaping to catch the shoulder of the bat to offer a simple chance to Ben Gully at gully to make it 20-1.
 
Number 3, Calvin Harrison fell without scoring, as Willoughby got one to nip back through the gate with Harrison looking to drive down the ground. Captain Woodman looked relatively assured at the other end as he and Harry Thomas set about to steady the ship.

The score had moved onto 48 and Woodman onto 24 before he succumbed to a change of bowling as Alex Leeks, replacing Willoughby, claimed a simple caught and bowled chance.
 
Harry Thomas was joined by Sam Underdown and the pair took well to the task of building the Deane innings with a number of boundaries as the home attack relented somewhat with Willoughby and Trego both rested.
 
However, the introduction of off-spinner Jodie Flier (1-44), making her league debut for Weston, delivered the breakthrough that Weston wanted. Having dispatched her first ball in league cricket to the boundary first ball, Thomas was undone by her second as he misjudged her flight and guile to see the ball rearrange his stumps.
 
Thomas made 37 from 43 but as he departed the Deane were now 85-4. Henry Mellor joined Underdown and after a nervy start against the returning Trego, he proceeded to bludgeon his way to 37 of just 32 balls. After a few lusty blows, including one rather large six off Flier, Mellor fell to Trego as his middle, off and leg stump were flattened.
 
The pair had added 56 for the fifth wicket, but at 141-5 from just over halfway, The Deane looked like they might fall well short of a competitive total. Number seven Sam Shaikh joined Underdown and they proceeded to add another 31 in 5 overs before Underdown fell LBW to the returning Alex Leeks (2-48) for an excellent 39.
 
From 172-6 in the 34th, Harry Smith and Shaikh then wrestled control of the game back to the visitors as the pair added 77 in the next 10 overs to secure maximum batting points and take the momentum of the game into Deane’s favour.
 
Both took full toll of anything loose and with Trego returning to bowl out, as Weston yearned for another breakthrough, the pair were able to capitalise on an increasingly frustrated home attack. Smith particularly brutal as he took two fours and two sixes from the 42nd over.
 
Smith eventually fell 2 overs later, for 42 from 32 as the medium pace of Ben Gully (2-23) induced a false stroke and top edge that was well held by Jack Press running in from mid-off. 249-7 became 253-8 as Gully then had Matt Derham pinned to the crease LBW without scoring.
 
Number 10 Shohel Rana then walked out to bat, however, having earlier befallen ill with a severe case of pad rash - having been ready to bat since the wicket of Woodman, any remaining expectations of the Deane innings rested heavily with Shaikh.
 
The visitors and away following were not left disappointed however, as Rana, 11 from 12 and Shaikh, who by now had reached his half century, proceeded to yield 48 runs for the ninth wicket in the next 6 overs as the Deane passed 300 for the first time this season to finish on 301-8 and Shaikh 77 not out.
 
A generous tea was welcomed by all, particularly so by the home attack who had suffered for almost 4 hours in the harshest of the sweltering heat. The Deane left the tea interval reenergised and with no World Cup football to distract this time, the focus soon returned to the cricket.

Tom Walsh (2-35) and Matt Derham (0-26) started lively with the new ball, but both were guilty of spraying a few early wides as Weston moved nicely at the end of the powerplay to 68-2 at the end of 10 overs.

Walsh claimed the wicket of Jack Press, who after surviving a vociferous LBW, was on his way as Walsh got one to nip back off the seam through bat and pad. Rob Turner (25) was then accounted for, as a short ball was placed straight into the hands of Harry Smith at square leg.
 
Number 3 Ben Gully and Peter Trego added 29 for the third wicket, but when Gully played back and missed to Rana for 24, Weston were 87-3. Jon Lambert helped to add 23 runs in a frenetic fourth wicket partnership as the Weston pair looked to impose themselves on spinners Rana (2-27) and Harrison (0-39).
 
However, when Lambert advanced down the wicket to swing and miss at Rana to be clean bowled for 8, Weston had stuttered to 120-4. Nevertheless, with Trego passing fifty and looking increasingly comfortable at the other end the game was far from over.
 
The introduction of medium pacer Henry Mellor (3-33) saw the Deane grasp firm control of the game however, as Davis Trego made 9 before he shovelled Mellor to Harry Smith at midwicket, before Luke Morgan (2) was accounted for with a full and straight delivery that clattered into the stumps.
 
At 156-6 Trego showed no sign of relenting and a series of firmly struck sweep shots, cover drives and lofts towards the midwicket boundary signalled his clear intentions from then on in. A further 30 runs were added in the seventh wicket partnership with Alex Leeks before an excellent piece of fielding by young Harry Smith delivered the wicket the Deane craved.
 
A cut off the back foot heading along the barren, straw coloured outfield was duly intercepted, Smith returned the ball from the deep cover boundary with interest to see Trego run out at the keepers end marginally short of the crease.
 
The wicket of Trego (72), proved decisive as Weston subsided from 186-7 to 215 all out. Charl Willoughby fell with no addition to the score as Mellor claimed his third victim, another catch shovelled to midwicket where captain Woodman made an extravagant dive to pouch the easiest of catches. Only one more run had been added when Tom Chambers fell for a duck, scooping the off spin of Harry Thomas (2-40) to Tom Walsh.
 
Alex Leeks continued to play aggressively and was well rewarded for some excellent shot making as he made 31 and secured a further batting point for the home side. Number 11 and debutant Jodie Flier was left 2 not out at the non-strikers end as the last wicket partnership yielded 28 runs before Leeks was stumped by Sam Shaikh at the second time of asking to see Weston end 215 all out and end 86 runs adrift of their opponents.
 
As the league enters the business end of the season, the win sends the Deane third in the Premier Two table, 3 points behind Ilminster ahead of the visit of strugglers Keynsham, whilst Weston drop down to fourth, 3 points behind the Deane ahead of their game away at Midsomer Norton.
 
Special mention must go Jodie Flier, who certainly held her own against strong opposition on her league debut and was well rewarded with her first league wicket. It was encouraging to see her and other youngsters ready to take to the challenge of league cricket in place of their senior colleagues. Convincing evidence perhaps of the growing and positive influence of girls, women’s and youth cricket upon the senior recreational game.
 

Match details

Match date

Sat 21 Jul 2018

Kickoff

12:30

Competition

Prem 2 Bristol/Som

League position

3
Taunton Deane CC - 1st XI
4
Weston Super Mare CC - 1st XI
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