LYMPSHAM travelled to top of the table Pucklechurch knowing a win would make them champions.

LYMPSHAM travelled to top of the table Pucklechurch knowing a win would make them champions.

Luff won the crucial toss and had no hesitation in asking the home side to bat on a wet wicket. Lympsham's opening bowlers, Summers and Bailey, soon found a good length. Bailey only conceded a single off his first six overs which included the important wicket of Young, thanks to an outstanding reflex catch by Hayden Tuttiett.

Pucklechurch's captain Wiltshire began to attack but fell to Bailey for a quickfire 33.Bailey finished with impressive figures 15-9-14-2. The introduction of Pilgrim ensured that wickets continued to fall, he bowled a great line, his first three wickets were all given out leg before. The tail put up no fight at all, leaving Pilgrim with impressive figures of 7- 29 earning him the Lympsham Concrete man of the match. Pucklechurch ended 105 all out.

After a superb tea, Rich Ford and Mike Tucker began aggressively with the first 16 scoring shots all boundaries, punishing the wayward bowling. With the score on 70, Ford was bowled for an entertaining 33. Parsons also began by hitting boundaries. Tucker was adjudged leg before for a good 31.

With only 10 runs needed, Luff flicked one off his legs to backward square leg for an unusual duck. Parsons was then bowled for 17, leaving Tuttiett to smash his first ball for four giving Lympsham victory with 20 overs remaining.

This was a great all-round performance by Lympsham and they fully deserve to be Division 3 champions.

Captain Ben Laing won the toss and elected to bat. The United Banks bowlers started well, bowling a tight line, and after 10 overs they had restricted the hosts to 33-2. Tom Gooding joined Laing at the crease, and the pair began to bat themselves into the Lympsham record books. Laing (156 not out) hit a total of 23 fours and two maximums and Gooding (121) hit 17 fours, as they both hit their maiden league centuries.

The pair put on a club record partnership of 277 in an excellent display of batting. Gooding was eventually caught on the boundary.

The two totals unusually and coincidentally equalled the partnership score, and new club chairman Andrew Hall paid tribute to the youngsters saying: "Ben and Tom should be very proud of their efforts, setting a record that I am sure will remain in place for many years to come, with youngsters like this in the club has a bright future."

In helping to beat the opposition handsomely, the pair secured the side's place in the same division next season.

A further wicket at the death gave United Banks some consolation, but by then the hosts had amassed 325-4 off of their 45 overs, with Laing carrying his bat.

When Lympsham took to the field, Dan Berry (3-4) and Steve Wilcox (1-11) made sure the visitors never got in the game, and further wickets for Liam Morris (1-7), Jack Luff (1-7) and Simon Cowgill (3-4) ensured the home side finished the season in emphatic style, bowling out the visitors for just 53.

Academie Fiscale men of the match were Laing and Gooding for an achievement that will be hard to beat.