Bear Flat 1sts stay top despite loss, Gunning ton in vain for 2nds

Round-up of Bear Flat Cricket Club’s matches – Saturday 4th July.

Bear Flat 1st XI remain top of Somerset League Division Four – despite a heavy defeat at Trull 1st XI on Saturday 4th July.

Although the Bears went down by 89 runs at Dipford Road, they hold an eight-point lead over second-placed Glastonbury 1st XI after 10 rounds of matches.

Taunton-area side Trull elected to bat and clocked up 264-8 in their 40 overs, number six Louis Trotman leading the way with 69.

Skipper Elliott Trotman made 43 and Andy Sapey, Graham Fitt, Brian Stone and Andy Clark all got into the 20s.

Matt Tomes-Smith was the visitors’ most successful bowler, picking up 3-53 from eight overs.

There were two wickets apiece for Jay Morris and Jack Randle, although the most economic member of the Bear Flat attack was Matthew Strange (0-28 from eight overs).

Openers James Ebdon (30) and Jake Steele (44) made a fine start to the Bears’ response.

And despite an unbeaten 39 from number six Sam Homan and 28 not out from Tomes-Smith, the Bath outfit fell well short, closing on 175-6 from their 40 overs.

Captain Harry Lewis chipped in with 23.

Fitt (2-37 off eight overs) and Dan Thorne (2-23 from four overs) took the bulk of the wickets for a Trull side who are 15 points off the summit.

Bear Flat 2nd XI also suffered a heavy defeat on 4th July, losing by eight wickets when they hosted Shaftesbury Road 2nd XI at the Ken Wilcox Cricket Ground, Peasedown St John, in Somerset League Division Six North.

Thye setback was hard on the Bears’ number three batter Mark Gunning, who slammed an unbeaten 109 after his team opted to take first knock.

Gunning faced 123 balls and hit 13 boundaries – but his only team-mate to top 20 was opener Ben Hawkins (38), who added 69 with the centurion for the second wicket.

Khurram Kazmi, Ben Hewlett, Mudassar Aman and Faizan Hakim shared the wickets, the Bears restricted to 203-5 in their 40 overs.

Winford-based Shaftesbury Road’s opening pair Dan Fox and Jagadeesh Loya took the guests to the brink of victory courtesy of a first-wicket stand that yielded 176 runs.

They were separated when Loya was bowled by Iain Locke for a remarkable 103 from 51 balls, the innings containing nine sixes and nine fours.

Locke claimed his second victim when he bowled Cameron Pike for a duck – but Fox carried his bat for 84 not out, his 65-ball stay at the crease featuring a six and 15 boundaries.

Shaftesbury Road ended up with 204-2 from only 21.3 overs, Locke returning 2-46 off five overs.

Forthcoming fixtures:

Saturday 11th July:

Somerset League:

Division Four: Bear Flat 1st XI v Spaxton 1st XI (at The Glasshouse Playing Fields, Combe Down, 1.30pm).

Division Six North: Harptree Villages v Bear Flat 2nd XI (at The Playing Field, East Harptree, 1.30pm).