Lord's in sight as Bath reach last eight. (2024)

Bath are just two matches away from gracing the pitch at Lord's after they progressed through to the quarter finals of the National Club Championship on Sunday.

Travelling to Penzance, Bath elected to bat and began positively before losing Jack Scrivens (12) early on 19-1. Fellow opener Aidan Cahill raced to 36 as he and Charlie Brain took Bath past 50, but Cahill and Ben Church (5) found themselves back in the pavilion to leave the visitors on 63-3.

The prolific Sam Young started the rebuild, firstly with Brain (25) and then with skipper Harry Ellison. They put on 70 for the fifth wicket, before Young went for an excellent 51, with Ellison then leading from the front - batting effectively with the middle and lower order. He finished unbeaten on 79, having taken Bath up to a very competitive 237-7 from their 40 overs.

Penzance's reply was full of powerful hitting from the start as the openers raced to 77. Despite losing a wicket, Penzance continued to bat positively and were sitting a just over 100 runs needed with nine wickets in hand.

Bath struck again before the return of Cahill (3-30) secured two wickets in quick succession. With the match now hanging in the balance, Penzance continued to bat well with the lower order, but in the end they fell 14 runs short. Leftarm spinner Josh Sutton, moving up from the second side, bowled particularly well for 2-33 as Bath will now face a trip to either Teddington or East Molesey on July 28.

The previous day saw Bath beaten in their rain-affected West of England Premier League Premier One derby against Lansdown at North Parade.

In a match reduced to 40-oversa-side, Bath were asked to bat and raced to 78 off just 14 overs through Scrivens and Cahill. After Scrivens went for 25, Cahill fell in the very next over for a run-a-ball 52. Number three Church (27) continued to bat positively but, when he was trapped in front, a succession of wickets tumbled before Will Arney (20) and Louis Brown (16) put together an important partnership.

Bath were bowled out for 183 in the final over. Matthew Thomas had taken 3-28 for Lansdown, alongside Daniel Lezar's 2-31, before Sam Pearce claimed the final wicket to finish with 3-15.

The rain then affected Lansdown's chase as the target was revised to 140 from 25 overs. Although they slipped to 95-5, and still needed a further 45 from their last five overs, some strong batting from George Scott (42*) and Pearce (17*) took the visitors over the line with nine balls remaining.

Bath's lead at the top of Premier One is now only two points over Bridgwater, while Lansdown are now eight points clear of the bottom two.

| Bath's second side travelled to Knowle in the Bristol & North Somerset Division. After losing the toss, Bath struggled to build partnership as wickets continued to tumble to leave them 90-6 when rain hit in the 28th over.

The impact of the weather left Knowle with a revised 102 from 27 overs, which they quickly reached in just 16 overs for the loss of three wickets.

| The third team went to Bishopston 2nd in a rain reduced 30-over match in the Bristol & District League. Having been put into bat, openers Bill Simmons (17) and Sam Price put on 26 for the first wicket before the former was smartly stumped.

Price and Hamish Bell added 61 until Bell went for a run-a-ball 32 and, although two more wickets quickly fell, Price continued to anchor the innings as Tim Scott smashed a quick 22. When Price was out for a hugely important 48, George Axtell (21) kept the scoreboard ticking over to reach a very competitive 185-8 from their 30 overs.

Bishopston's reply soon slipped to 26-3 as Scott (2-26) and Joe Prescott (1-16) set the tone with a fine opening bowling spell. Ben Harper soon ran out the opener before the spin of Charlie Pritchard (1-17) and Innes Pierce (2-15) extinguished the rebuild. The innings never really recovered from there as Bishopston were bowled out in the 29th over for 148, 38 runs short as Bath move up to second in Division Two, just seven points behind the leaders.

| The fourth side won a closelyfought match against Brislington 3rd. Despite being put into bat, Bath began positively and raced to 29 before Dan Hope (9) was bowled. The hosts then passed 50 before Sam Simmons (14) was also bowled to leave Bath 55-2.

Brislington's first change bowlers began to build the pressure and, when they removed opener Thiaan Aspeling (39), Allan Alex (12) and Peter Briggs (8) also soon departed. Bath had slipped 118-5, but skipper David Pippett and Mike Roe (15) build an important 64-run partnership. When Roe went, Pippett continued to bat positively until he was bowled in the final over for an important 77, leaving Bath on 207-7 from their 40 overs.

Brislington's reply started well, however wickets started to tumble as Aspeling (4-28) picked up four wickets in a great spell of seam bowling.

A rain delay reduced Brislington's target to 187 from 36 overs and the visitors began to fight back, before young bowlers Ollie Johnson (1-7) and Jack Pippett (2-25) struck. Bath bowled tightly and caught well to eventually win by eight runs as Brislington finished on 178-9.

| Bath's Wanderers exited the ECB Women's Club T20 on Sunday, losing their group semi final against Royal Wootton Bassett. Electing to field, a couple of quick wickets had left Bassett on 37-2 before they recovered to reach 138-4 from their 20 overs. Molly Matthews managed to take two of the wickets to fall.

Captain Emma Godman (17) and Chloe Micklethwaite (3) managed to put on 28 for the first wicket in reply, before Katie Dolman (16), Lily Day (25) and wicket-keeper Beth Aspeling (16*) also contributed well however Bath ultimately ran out of time as they finished 20 runs short on 118-7.

| WEPL Only 3.2 overs could be played at Weston-super-Mare before Keynsham's hopes of closing the gap to those above them fell by the wayside as the weather proved the ultimate winner in this Prem 2 Bristol/ Som contest. Opener Will Burston fell for a two-ball duck after second-bottom Keynsham had been asked to bat, leaving Tom Bancroft (5*) and captain Ben Ackland (1*) stranded once play had to be abandoned before it had barely gotten underway. | Corsham were crucially the only side to get their game on in the Prem 2 Glos/Wilts Division, and they secured a vital 20-point haul with a six-wicket win over visiting Avebury.

Putting their visitors into bat, Corsham were able to dismiss Avebury for only 109 inside 29 overs. A dozen extras conceded allowed Avebury to reach triple figures, while Tom Foley claimed 3-22 alongside a couple of wickets apiece for Callum Sandell, Ben Huntley and Wiltshire's Joseph King.

Although the target remained unchanged, Corsham's innings was reduced to 47 overs instead of the usual 50.

However, the hosts were in no mood to hang around and knocked the runs off in 17 and a half overs. It

CONTINUED OPPOSITE was perhaps a hasty reply as Corsham lost four wickets on their way to victory, with opener Ryan Thomas anchoring the side with an unbeaten 37 after he and Lakshan Gamage (42) put on 64 for the fourth-wicket.

| It proved a similar scenario for Marshfield, who were the only side to win their match in the Wiltshire Division.

With local and title rivals Corsham 2nd and Hinton Charterhouse both seeing their games cancelled at Marlborough and Swindon respectively, and leaders Purton also unable to take to the field against Potterne 2nd due to the weather, Marshfield took full advantage to move up to second - four points clear of Corsham and two off Purton.

Visiting Warminster, Marshfield had been put into bat and got off to a rather sticky start as they fell to 98-5. Wicket-keeper Max Bradley struck 27 as each of the top eight managed to reach double-figures, however the other seven all failed to make it to 20 as Marshfield were bowled out for 144 a ball shy of 39 overs.

It set up a real close battle as Marshfield managed to defend their total. Warminster went from 49-2 to 50-6 as they suffered a real mid-order collapse and although they managed 48 for the seventhwicket, it proved too little too late as the hosts were dismissed for 127 with a ball remaining of the 43rd over. Jeremy Bond (4-34) and Hamish Walker (2-26) combined to clear to top of the order, before Henry Bates secured the 17-run win with 3-17.

| Winsley also managed to play out their rain-affected match at home to Trowbridge, and they managed to force a tied game to move 12 points clear of bottom side Marlborough.

Trowbridge managed to bat for 46 overs before their innings was brought to a close on 208-6 after Winsley had inserted their visitors. Devlin Webb and Josh Lewis both claimed a couple of wickets apiece.

Winsley's target then became 202 from 50 overs as the weather began to clear. A poor start left the hosts on 37-3 before Webb (35) and captain Charles Holton (69) began to bring Winsley back into the contest. After they shared 38 for the fourth wicket, Holton and Gareth Pugh (40) added 80 for the sixth to seemingly put Winsley ahead of the run rate.

Unable to hold their nerve though, Winsley went from 196-6 to 201 all out in 42 overs to leave the scores tied according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculations. | SOMERSET CUPS Lansdown 2nd are through to the semi finals of the Intermediate Cup.

Hosting Wells & Horrington last Thursday, Lansdown were put into bat and took full control from the get go. Openers Sam Avery and Danny Poole (48) struck 163 for the first wicket, with Avery going on to make a fantastic 103 from only 72 balls. His innings consisted of 16 fours and three sixes as Lansdown reached 194-2 from their 20 overs.

They looked in full control after Wells' openers fell for a combined 14 runs. A half-century from Wells' skipper threatened to change things, however he was starved of support as Lansdown kept chipping away at the wickets. Ed Walker and George Wood both managed to claim two victims apiece as Wells eventually fell 48 runs short on 146-7.

| WILTSHIRE LEAGUE Bathford 2nd's unbeaten start to the season finally came to an end at Goatacre 4th in the only match of Division Ten to defy the weather.

Goatacre batted first and made 187-9 off their 40 overs, while Nick Anderson proved the pick of the bowlers with 3-38. He then went on to score 36 as Bathford finished 31 runs short of their target.

Openers Ashton Wright (42) and Mark Tooley (37) got Bathford off to a good start, but once that partnership was broken they were always up against it despite Anderson's best efforts.

Bathford's first team's game against Chippenham 4th was rained off.

| SOMERSET LEAGUE Bear Flat 2nd returned to action in Division Six East, but struggled again on the road as they were beaten by 49 runs at Harptree Villages.

After choosing to field, Bear were faced with chasing 181-6 and got off to a good start through openers Peter Wood (33) and captain Sam Homan (43*). Homan anchored the innings throughout, however only wicket-keeper George Poole (34) added any other real support before the wickets eventually ran out. Homan was left stranded as Bear finished 49 runs short on 132 a ball shy of 32 overs. They are now 19 points off leaders Mark in third. | TIMSBURY came out second best in their top of the table clash at Golden Hill 2nd in the Bristol & District League Division One.

A second successive defeat has left Timsbury just one point clear of both Golden Hill and Portishead in a closely contested scrap at the top.

Timsbury were always up against it after the home side had posted 243-5 from just 35 overs. The chief damage was done by the experienced John Colley who struck nine sixes and seven fours in a superb undefeated century. None of Timsbury's attack could tie him down and his stand of 120 for the fifth wicket set up the imposing target.

The away side made a good fist of the challenge and, at 97-2, Lew Redwood and Jack Williams were going well to leave Timsbury very much in the match. The dismissal in quick succession of Williams (22) and Redwood for an impressive 63 put Timsbury on the back foot however and, despite a lively 37 from skipper Jesse Bishop and a late flourish from Liam Hosford and Sam Hoddinott, the visitors finished well short. Their total of 202-9 at least gave them seven bonus points, with everything still to play for.

| The second and third teams both had their matches cancelled after the heavy overnight rain.

| HAMPSET With the first team's game against Knowle 2nd abandoned, Hampset's second side travelled to Taveners. Opting to field, Harry Hall (6-0-17-0) and Jas Sinclair (7-3-22-3) opened the bowling in some harsh conditions.

The first breakthrough came via Sinclair who struck twice in relatively quick succession. James

Dorey (8-0-25-2) accounted for the other opener with an excellent catch from Julian Sadgrove, before Chris Kindon (7.5-0-32-2) took over from captain Jon Hart who suffered a calf injury.

The rain began to fall in the middle overs, but play resumed half an hour later for the loss of only three overs. Kindon ended with a few wickets, including a catch from Joe Hall and Kindon himself, as Taveners reached 135 from their 37 overs.

Kindon and Oscar Costello began the chase and both made tidy starts before shortly falling for 19 and 13 respectively. Although Hampset kept scoring, they struggled to build a lasting partnership as the wickets continued to fall.

A great 48 from skipper Hart, on just one left, saw Hampset gain the upper hand before some quick batting from Sarfaraz Mahar saw them over the line.

The third team's game at Brislington 4th was cancelled. | In the North Somerset League on Sunday, a young Hampset side ventured to Leema. Despite runs flowing from the other end as Hampset decided to field, Oscar Costello bowled tidy lines and earned a couple of wickets.

Leema managed to reach 70-2 off the first ten overs, before spinners Tom Marquiss (8-3-14-0) and Ollie Richards (8-0-53-1) attempted to stem the flow of runs. With the pair unlucky not to pick up more than one wicket which Richards claimed off his final ball, Leema were in the driving seat.

The returning Costello, aided by some good catching, claimed his career best third wicket and then went on to grab a five-for in his final over to finish on 5-49.

Hampset were set 259 to win, which looked difficult on a pitch beginning to play some tricks. Seven overs in, Hampset found themselves 27-5 before Safaraz Mahar (76) and the lower order helped them to find their feet again.

Mahar single-handedly clawed Hampset's first two batting points before falling in the 29th over - having struck a six to bring up his halfcentury.

This left the under-15 contingent to bat with 11 overs remaining. Led by a fantastic Alfie-Jay Robinson (36*) innings, the tail wagged as they just missed out on a fourth batting point on 174 all out.

| WILTSHIRE In a match severely affected by rain, which meant most of one whole day was lost, Wiltshire and Herefordshire played out a draw in the Durant NCCA Championship Western Division Two.

Wiltshire opted to bat and were all out for 331 in the 87th over. They began well with an opening stand of 82 between James Degg (38) and Wadworth Player of the Match Dylan Church, who went on to score an excellent 116.

Captain Ed Young (75) joined Church after Harry Broderick departed and they put on 131 for the third wicket. There were also good contributions from Jake Goodwin (25), Toby Kershaw (23) and Will Naish (26).

Herefordshire were 46-0 at the close of play, before only 54 overs could take place on day two as they accelerated to 246-6. The magnificent work of the groundstaff at Corsham ensured day three began on time and, at the end of their 90 overs, Herefordshire were 324-9. The Wiltshire spinners had done the bulk of the bowling, with Joe King taking 4-95 and debutant Ben Higton 3-78.

Wiltshire reached 28-0 by lunch before the rain forced the game to be abandoned. Wiltshire took 12 points to Herefordshire's 11.

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Bath 4th returned to winning ways against Brislington 3rd in the Bristol & District League PICTURES: Bath Cricket Club

Harry Ellison, who deputised as Bath captain at the weekend, scored a vitally important unbeaten 79 to help see his side through to the quarter finals of the National Club Championship