Wrington knock out Somerset Cup champions

WRINGTON move through to the semi-finals after knocking out the defending champions Belvedere in the Somerset Minor Cup.

Winning the toss, Belvedere decided to bat against the young Wrington side with an average age of 22, however the Wrington team produced an inspired fielding performance with skill and maturity beyond their years, taking all their catches and displaying excellent ground fielding.

Opening bowlers Dan Taylor and Dan Tapson returned with five wickets between them with Taylor taking three caught and bowls. Only A Kolombkar (14) and D Taylor (12) reached double figures for the vistors, extras ran out total top scorers for Belvedere as the umpires enforced the strict, but consistent, leg side wide rule.

However the best was yet come as Tapson took a one-handed catch well above his head off the bowling of Tim Ledbury who picked up the last two wickets with his spin as in the last over Belvedere finished on 85 all out.

Wrington looked to start quickly in the small run chase with Ledbury and Oscar Wimshurst opening the batting, however after Ledbury (1) and Marshall Clements Junior (7) as well as cup captain Mickey Edmunds (1) were removed cheaply, Wrington were reduced to 25 for 3 in the seventh over, Belvedere began to believe and got their tails up mostly due to the controlled direct bowling from B Hosey.

With the loss of Clements bringing Dan McMullen to the crease with Wimshurst, the pair put on 38 for the fourth wicket including a massive straight six from McMullen off the bowling of Hosey to steady the sinking ship.

However, as always, Wrington do not do things simply and with McMullen trapped leg before, Wrington stuttered and found themselves 79 for 6 in the 18th over.

However with man of the match Wimshurst still there in the last over he pulled the ball for four to finish on 42 not out and take Wrington across the winning line with three balls to spare..

Wrington are now just one match away from playing at Taunton in the final but first have a home semi-final tie against Temple Cloud, despite Evercreech looking the most likely opponents, on July 19, to overcome, starting time to be confirmed.

Wrington started the second half of season with a trip to Saltford, the site of their league record 360 runs in an innings several years earlier.

With this is mind, captain Mickey Edmunds won the toss and elected to bat. With both regular openers Mike Clements and Tim Ledbury unable to play, Marshall Clements and Oscar Wimshurst opened on a good-looking flat wicket.

However the openers were removed cheaply, Clements (0) going back to a ball which kept low and Wimshurst (10) with an expansive drive that removed his off stump.

With Edmunds and Adam Whiting at the crease the scoring raced along as the pair moved to 70 in the 11th over, however Edmunds (24) was unlucky to be caught. With Whiting (42) chancing his arm one time to many in the 17th over and the first ball removal of Clements senior for a duck the visitors were 105 after 18th for 5.

Things got worse as Richard Spink (19) quick-fire innings finished in the next over Wrington were in real trouble. A seventh-wicket partnership of 30 from Matthew Beck (7) and Adam Ford (16) in 10 overs tried to protect the tail but the visitors were out in the 36th over for 155.

Wrington made the perfect start after a brief tea, with Edmunds removing H Chandry for a second ball duck, but Saltford's captain Kev Fletcher and powerful hitter Wes Taynton put on 100 before Beck had Taynton (56) caught at deep square leg by Dan Tapson and Fletcher (51) a couple of overs later at mid off by Whiting.

The introduction of Ford changed the pace and bowling wicket to wicket coupled with Beck's nagging line frustrated the middle order as the run rate slowed and wickets fell.

Saltford went from 101 for 1 to 140 for 7 with Ford claiming four wickets for 14 runs. However the re-introduction of Edmunds and Tapson was not quite enough to pick up the remaining tail-end wickets as A Taynton (19 not out) brought the Saltford team home with one wicket and five overs left.

Wrington look to get back on to winning ways with a mid-week cup quarter-final against Weston 3rd at the Rec on Thursday night.

Wrington Seconds, in their new Kingstone Press sponsored shirts, hosted Nailsea, looking to avenge their defeat on the first day of the season.

McMullen lost the toss as Nailsea elected to bat first. Under-15 Yule (8-0-46-3) made an immediate breakthrough removing opener Iles first ball.

Things were looking ominous with skipper Parsons hitting a powerful straight boundary, however he was removed soon after looking to replicate the shot, bowled by Yule but mainly due to the pressure being built up at the other end by James Fowler who bowled the first eight overs for a miserly five runs, including four maidens.

First change Sam Fowkes finished with 6.1-1-14-2. An excellent piece of fielding out on the boundary by James Fowler, finding the gloves of Williams, who threw a direct hit at the non-striker's end to end the innings of Taya.

Perin was rewarded with a potentially game-changing 39 before being caught by McMullen in the covers off the bowling of Duffs (6-0-26-2) to allow the visitors to post a respectable 131 off of 38.1 overs, 40 or so more than they looked like getting at one stage.

Nailsea got an early breakthrough when Under-15s opener Williams managed to run out partner Crowe. This seemed to make Williams determined to make amends which saw him remove all risk from his approach without curbing his attractive stroke play.

Wrington experienced steady losses of key wickets mainly thanks to the steady spell of Billows (8-3-13-2) so it was just really a question of someone staying with Seb to see the chase home. A cameo from Davidson-Blackshaw (20) eased the pressure and Dave Fowler saw home the visitors with Williams finishing on 57 not out.

Man of the match was shared between James Fowler and Seb Williams who showed maturity beyond his years to see the hosts over the winning line.