2's win a thriller at Uphill Castle

Saturday saw the 2's travel to Uphill Castle. Uphill won the toss and chose to bat first. Osbourne (1-27) & Kingdom (2-10) got the Deane off to a good start taking 3 cheap wickets. Deane kept up the pressure with only the Uphill skipper A. Llewellyn (40) making a score of note in the Uphill top order. Rana (0-16), H. Mellor (2-53), T. Burgess (0-30) & Norman (1-25) kept the squeeze on as K. Ward (33*) helped Uphill creep to 169-7 from their 45.

After a superb tea the Deane reply began with Smith (40) & Loud (40) getting the 2's off to a solid start. After both fell in identical fashion in just a few overs Warren (29) & Shaikh (8) kept the ship steady through the middle overs. Uphill's spin twins K. Ward (0-21) & M. Bail (2-29) made it hard for the Deane pair to score as the run rate crept up and the game looked like going the distance. When both set batsmen fell, shortly followed by Mellor trying to see the Deane home, it took a captains innings with some inventive shots from S. Burgess (29*) to see the 2's home with just 2 balls to spare, finished with a straight six into the sight screen.

The 32 point win now see's the 2's safe from the drop (baring any point deductions) with 2 games to go and bizarrely still in with an outside chance of promotion if a chain of events (slightly less complex than Somerset's miracle T20 qualification) unfold.

Next week see's the 2's host Taunton St Andrews in another of the seasons local derbies!