CHIPPING Sodbury will be looking to leapfrog over Corse and Staunton in the West of England Premier League Gloucestershire division on Saturday in their final match of the season against bottom side Apperley.

Sodbury are only one place above the basement team and did themselves no favours on Saturday either as they crashed to defeat against Bourton Vale.

However, victory over the team which has not won a match all campaign and defeat for Corse and Staunton who themselves play Bourton Vale this weekend, should see Chipping Sodbury reach eighth place in the table.

On a hot day at Bourton Vale last weekend, Sodbury skipper Phil Lill won the toss and decided to bat.

And, despite losing number two Jake Reed for eight and Craig Scully without scoring, a partnership with number four Dan Wright proved fruitful.

Lill fell for 57 while Wright was agonisingly just a single short of his own half-century when he was also caught.

But, instead of pushing on, Sodbury struggled towards the end of their innings.

Bryan Jater hit ten before he was bowled, while Jeremy Swatton hit four. Mason Poole and wicketkeeper Nick Wake both reached double figures before they were out for 16 and 13 respectively.

Dan Brown, Jarrod Campling and Ben Waldron contributed just one run between them, while the third highest runs in Sodbury’s total of 193 all out came via the extras with 35.

Sodbury hoped to take some early wickets to give them a fighting chance but they found Bourton Vale solid right down the order.

The bowlers toiled as each of the top seven batsmen reached double figures, three in the twenties, and Ashley Jones top scoring with 46 as, accompanied by 23 extras, Bourton Vale reached 194-5 comfortably inside 38 overs.

Poole and Lill were the best bowlers for Sodbury, with Poole taking 2-61 and Lill 2-27, both from ten overs as their team succumbed by five wickets.

Chipping Sodbury seconds, however, did much better in the Gloucestershire County League second division as they defeat Thornbury seconds by three wickets.

Thornbury seconds won the toss and batted first but, other than 63 from captain and wicketkeeper Coli Blick in the middle order and 26 via Tom Wheeler at number three, there was little for Thornbury seconds to smile bout.

Jack Summerfield added 16 to the total at number nine, but the 150 all out total by the visitors was more than reachable for Chipping Sodbury seconds whose best bowler was Oliver Sayer with 3-37 with Robert Mozelwski and Sam Vile both taking two wickets.

In reply, Sodbury got off to a nervous start as Chris Young went for a duck, and Mark Graham followed for nine with the score on 14.

But a solid partnership between wicketkeeper Simon Vooght and number four Jack Philpott took Sodbury’s total to 82 before Vooght was bowled by Thornbury’s Mark Allen for 51.

Philpott was bowled by Stuart McWhinnie for 28 as Sodbury went through the century mark and had the winning target sight with six wickets remaining.

But Thornbury bowled well and did not make it easy for Chipping Sodbury to cross the finish line. However they eventually did in 28.3 overs, totalling 153-7 at the end.

Chipping Sodbury thirds, meanwhile, must have rued asking Coalpit Heath seconds to bat first after winning the toss as they went down to a heavy loss by 72 runs.

Daniel Whittaker took 3-32 for Sodbury’s third string as decent batting took Coalpit Heath to 210-9 at the end of their innings.

But what followed in reply was a thing of nightmares. Sodbury lost their first wicket when Mike Pearson went for six but, before he could take his pads off, four more of his team-mates had walked to the crease and walked back again.

Sodbury fell to 23-5 at one stage, and then were 51-6 and 58-7 before number seven Nic Hambly steadied the ship with a resolute 68 that includes eight boundaries and a six.

He forged a 71-run partnership with number nine Andy Shield before Shield went for twenty. Hambly was bowled for 138 and that was that with Sodbury all out without adding another run.

Chipping Sodbury fourths were home to Stanton Drew on Saturday but went down to a heavy defeat.

Batting first, Stanton Drew made 261-5 to set Chipping Sodbury a big target but the fourths only reached one hundred.