Bristol and District League Division Nine

Briska 224-9 beat Thornbury 3rds 133 ao by 91 runs

THORNBURY third team travelled to Staple Hill in Bristol to play Briska on a wet and blustery day for cricket and came away with a resounding reverse to their name.

Briska surprisingly chose to bat on a damp green wicket.

Following a couple of rain interruptions and reduction in overs to 38, opening bowlers Rhys Price and Geri Halliwell bowled with good early control limiting the openers to 28 from the first ten overs but no early wickets.

Stu Mcwhinnie injected some pace into the attack and Jack Summerfield took a sharp slip catch to remove Tom Mathew, the Briska opener, for 16.

And shortly afterwards Richard Hawkins took a simple catch to dismiss the other opener, Ashish George, for 15 with the hosts on 58-2.

With one very short boundary, loose deliveries were punished and Jophin Reji began to take control of the Briska innings.

Jack Summerfield and Kapil Agarwal bowled some excellent balls but regularly found the run rate at eight an over.

Thornbury battled and picked up wickets with Jack Summerfield 1-43, Kapil 3-45 and Mcwhinnie 3-52.

Rhys Price was the pick of the bowlers, though, with 2-28.

The innings finished at 224-9 with Jophin finally falling for an excellent 107 which included 12 fours and six sixes.

The Thornbury reply needed a top order partnership but Richard Hughes fell for four and Mcwhinnie fell in the eighth over, also for four runs.

Simon Weeks was keeping Thornbury up with the run rate with some excellent strokeplay but he lacked support as Kapil (7), Ollie Nash (3) and Jack Summerfield (4) left the reply in tatters 70-5 in the 17th over.

Harry Hawkins joined Weeks looking to build a partnership but Weeks fell for a defiant 41.

Following the departure of Alex Riggs, Hawkins went on the offensive and was caught in the 26th over for 33.

Rhys Price chipped in with ten runs but Thorns fell well short and were bowled out for 133 and their points advantage cut to thirty points over the side above them.