Gloucestershire County League Division Two

Thornbury 2nds 244 ao beat Stone 223 ao by 15 runs

THORNBURY seconds were at home to Stone in an important early season derby.

With league positions still settling down, both teams were at the foot of the table before the game and a win was much-needed to get them moving.

Thornbury skipper Greg Mallitte won the toss and elected to bat.

Ed Webb, making his first appearance of the season, opened up with Simon Weeks.

Weeks and Webb played sensibly, rotating the strike when possible and picking up boundaries when the opportunity arose.

With neither looking in any trouble, Weeks fell clean bowled for 14.

James Tunnicliffe entered and departed for 19.

Thornbury then lost two quick wickets. Ollie Humphries was undone by a straight one and then Ed Webb went for 28.

This brought Andy Weeks and the veteran Jon Oakey to the wicket with the score at 94-4.

The pair set about steadying the ship and building the total. Weeks hit a quick-fire 71 before he went.

As has often been the case this season, a mini collapse ensued once Jon Oakey departed for forty.

Thornbury all out for 244.

In reply, Luke Messer and Paul Wookey opened the bowling and soon had Stone on 34-3 with Messer having picked up two wickets and Wookey the other.

Along with Dave Jones, Pete Lavis produced a similar middle order partnership to the Weeks and Oakey one for Thornbury.

Jones went for 45, but Lavis began to accelerate the run chase.

Thornbury were able to pick up regular wickets with Alex Allen getting some.

With the pressure building, the Stone number nine called for a suicidal single and Webb and Humphries combined for an excellent run out.

Wookey returned for a high pressure over at the end and took out Lavis.

Thornbury were mightily relieved to scrape home and chalk up a second win of the season which moved the seconds up a couple of places to seventh in the league.