Lympsham recorded another victory to remain top of Division 4 of the Somerset League.

LYMPSHAM travelled to Curry Rivel and returned with a 60-run victory to remain top of the league.

Batting first, Dave Luff and Jamie Howson took the score past 50 for the third consecutive game. However, Luff guided one to gully on 20 and was finally out in league cricket this season.

This left Lympsham on 62-1 off 21 overs, bringing Tom Gooding to the crease, who started to rotate the strike well. This allowed Howson to reach another half century off 73 balls.

These two put on 79 in quick succession, before Gooding was run out. Skipper Jack Luff joined Howson and with the score on 136-2 off 34 overs, the pair instantly looked to up the run rate.

Howson reached his second league century of the season off 123 balls, and the pair put on 97 in their 11-over partnership, taking Lympsham to 231-2 off their 45 overs.

Howson finished on an excellent 129 not out including 14 fours and two sixes, while Luff finished 32 not out off 23 balls.

In reply, opening bowlers Jack Luff and Andy Russ applied pressure, and it did not take long for the first breakthrough. Luff clean bowled Higginson and Russ had Tilley caught by Max Gregory, leaving the home side 7-2 after four overs.

A decent partnership then formed and the score was taken onto 106, before Gregory took a wicket after a great catch from Julian Froud. Wickets then started to tumble, with Gregory picking up another in the following over, the home side struggling on 140-5 off 32 overs.

The introduction of Froud saw him rip through the lower order to finish with 5-10 off just 4.4 overs, bowling Curry Rivel out for 171.

This saw Lympsham pick up full points for the second week running, and remain top of Division 4.

Lympsham Concrete man of the match was shared between Jamie Howson and Julian Froud.

THE seconds hosted Uphill Castle Crusaders, the first time these local sides have ever met in a league game.

Uphill were asked to bat first and lost a couple of early wickets before Doyle (28) and Sloman (34) started to build a total. Gardener (43) also weighed in with a hard hitting innings before he retired hurt.

Skipper for the day Simon Pilgrim (4-8) spun his way through the Uphill middle order and aided by Tom Ferns (3-48) bowled Uphill out for 170 off the last ball due to an excellent stumping by Andy Hall.

Mike Cheeseman (34) got the Lympsham reply off to a brisk start, but a flurry of wickets left them 58-5, before Rod Simpson (21) and Felix Granfield (23) recovered some ground.

It was down to the last pair of Jelf Lampier man of the match Mark Russ (34 not out) and Tom Ferns to take the score from 130-9 to fall agonisingly short to lose by five runs in the last over to end an excellent game.

The seconds visited for their first game in the Somerset League. Sparkford batted first and scored 165-7 with veteran Simon Pilgrim taking 5-41.

In reply, Lympsham could only manage 123 all out and collected 13 league points. Rod Simpson scored 29 with three sixes and young Felix Grandfield top scored with a cultured 32 not out.

The Jelf Lampier man of the match was shared between Grandfield and Pilgrim.

THE Sunday XI got their season underway with a solid 49-run win against Taunton St Andrews.

Batting first, G Hutton (45) and S Poole (38) got Lympsham off to a flying start adding 75 for the first wicket. But once their partnership was broken, wickets fell at regular intervals with only Jack Luff (22) and M Gregory with a classy 46 taking Lympsham to a competitive 194 all out.

In reply, Taunton got off to a solid start putting on 45 for the first wicket. First change bowlers S Bruce (2-12) and Luff (2-11) brought a rush of wickets. Thereafter, Taunton struggled as S Poole (3-11), C Scriven (2-33) and T Gooding (1-20) went through the rest of the batting taking Lympsham to victory.

Lympsham Livery man of the match was Sam Poole.