Kingswood Village 174-7 beat Charfield 131 all out by 43 runs

ON a day that seemed more suited to staying indoors, Kingswood hosted Charfield in a 20-overs match that could easily have become foreshortened by the weather.

Batting first, the hosts openers, Kevin Morgan and Ben Foxwell put on 25 for the first wicket, with Foxwell (7) caught by Ben Cross off the bowling of Jake McNally (1-31).

Callum Niddrie (12) helped put on another 42 runs before becoming Ben Fineman’s first run-out victim.

Meanwhile, the forecast rain had started. Morgan was joined by Angus McCubbin (36) and 58 runs were added before he was bowled by Matt Jenkins (1- 24).

The next man in, Davis Newcombe (4), became Fineman’s first bowling victim.

Jacob Symanowski (13) helped Morgan put on another 29 until he was Fineman’s (2-37) second wicket.

Jacob’s father, Andy, took to the wicket only to see Morgan run out by Luke Messer for 74.

Andy was briefly joined by Guy Lendon who managed to run himself out, to another throw by Fineman, on the last ball of the allotted overs, leaving Charfield requiring 175 to win.

Murmurings of Duckworth-Lewis Method were heard as the players left the field, or perhaps it had only been ‘Ducks and webbed feet’.

The visitors took to the field brightly but in damp conditions.

And it was only to have opening batsman Harry Collins (4) caught by schoolboy Henry McCubbin (2-14) off his own bowling in the first over.

Newcomer to the area, Martin Betty joined Shaun Bath but was bowled for a duck by Oliver Niddrie (2-24) with the score on 16, bringing skipper Rory Thomas (3) to the fray.

He lasted six deliveries until 14-year-old McCubbin blasted his leg stump out of the ground with the score on 22.

Sam (1) and Matt Jenkins (0) were the next two to join Bath at the crease, the former being run out by Jacob Symanowski and his brother becoming Ollie Niddrie’s second victim.

Bath was then joined by Luke Messer and they put on ten before Bath (25) was stumped by Newcombe from Steve Barnes’ devious bowling.

In a mixed up call, Ben Cross was run out by an athletic throw from Kevin Morgan for the next duck.

Fineman (23) joined Messer and they put a well-scored 46 onto the total till Ben was caught behind by Newcombe from Morgan’s in-swinger.

Number ten batsman, Shane Forder (3 not out) helped Messer put another 36 on the board.

But the overs were rapidly dwindling when Luke (56) became Andy Symanowski’s first victim with three deliveries remaining and, with the next ball, he trapped Jake McNally lbw, leaving Kingswood as the winners with two balls to spare and the elder Symanowski on a possible hat-trick.

The teams were then warmed and refreshed by an excellent and much welcomed tea.