West of England Premier League
Somerset Division
Chard 151-6 beat Wembdon 147 by 4 wkts

WEMBDON failed to make it five wins in a row as Chard emerged victorious by four wickets on Saturday.

Wembdon elected to bat first and got off to a flying start. Nkululeko Serame raced to 30 from 23 balls as he and Tom Lott added 43 inside seven overs.

The breakthrough came when the experienced Jon Dalwood had Serame caught at extra cover for 30 with his fifth delivery.

Lott then fell for 10 before Jon Brockwell (5) departed as he played on to Richard Scott.

Sam Puddy (7) edged Chris Scott’s first ball to slip to leave Wembdon 57-4, having lost four wickets for 14 runs in the space of seven overs.

Jack Lowe joined Dan Bingham in a stand of 46 for the fifth wicket which went some way to repairing the early damage.

With Lowe on 18, he edged a Dalwood to first slip to leave Wembdon 103-5.

The returning Brendan Pope joined Bingham and the pair batted past drinks but, with the score on 125, Bingham (36) also edged Dalwood to slip.

Mike Watts struck 16 quick runs but Pope (11) was trapped lbw by Chris Scott, who then removed Max Sellick first ball and in the following over James Annison departed as he was caught off Dalwood, who finished with 4-25 from 10 overs.

Wembdon had again lost quick wickets, losing three for one run, and when Watts was caught in the deep Wembdon were dismissed for 147 in the 36th over.

Wembdon’s strengths this season have been with their bowling and their optimism grew when Matt Hubbard removed Dalwood and Nathan Johnson in the second over, which ended with the score on 3-2.

Brockwell and Hubbard continued to bowl economically and, in the 11th over, Bingham came in to the attack and dismissed Reid Mawdsley (13) thanks to a stunning close catch from Brockwell.

With Chard on 70, Serame returned to the attack and bowled dangerman Harvey Dening for 42.

Partnerships proved the difference; where Wembdon only managed two of note, Chard consistently built stands and the experienced Jonathan Scott held the innings together.

His 35 came from 95 balls but he held up an end for others to bat around in a low-scoring game.

Serame trapped Cleal (13) lbw but Crouch and Scott nudged Chard closer to the required target.

With the scores level, Wembdon capitalised on a mix up to run out Scott (35), but Crouch (23no) struck a boundary through the covers to seal the win.

Wembdon travel to title-chasing Taunton Deane on Saturday.

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WEPL Somerset Division
North Petherton 197 beat Taunton Deane 140 by 57 runs

NORTH Petherton picked up a vital win to leapfrog opponents Taunton Deane 2nds in the battle to avoid the drop in WEPL Somerset.

Having won the toss and opted to bat, Pethy lost Owen Irish without scoring and it was 15-3 when Ali Asif (1) and skipper Harry Bowditch (0) also fell cheaply.

Opener Lewis Knight (64) stayed put to hold the innings together, reaching his half century from 60 balls and receiving useful support from Lloyd Irish (23) to take Pethy into three figures.

From 122-7, the visitors did very well to get to 197 and their lower order efforts were led by Farran Gregory, who smashed five fours and two sixes in his 30-ball 37.

Like Pethy earlier in the day, the Deane also made a poor start and they were soon struggling at 25-3 as Ben Meek (3-61) and Gregory (2-23) made early inroads.

Henry Mellor (54) and Ali Warren (34) gave the hosts hope with a 75-run stand for the fifth wicket but, once Mellor fell to Asif (3-23 from 10), the final six wickets fell for just 27 runs to clinch a valuable victory for the away side.

Pethy will look to build on their victory this Saturday when they welcome local rivals Bridgwater 2nds (12.30pm).