Nailsea Cricket Club traveled to Brislington looking to get back to winning ways.

Having won the toss and asked the hosts to bat first, good opening spells from Liam Lester ( 1-24 ) and Adrian Procter ( 3-17 ) immediately put Brislington under pressure.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with Jack Smith,( 1-27 ) Alan Rogerson, ( 2-20 ) Steve Lester, ( 1-8 ) and Richard Billows ( 1-24 ) all contributing as Bris were bowled out for 136. In reply, Mat Beadle fell for 5, but the in form Gary Phippen was then joined by Rob Lange.

The pair took Nailsea to 61 before Phippen was run out for 21. Liam Lester contributed a hard hitting 28 from just 21 balls as he and Lange added a rapid 66 for the third wicket.

Despite two quick wickets, there were to be no dramas as Nailsea cruised home with almost twenty overs to spare.

Man of the Match Rob Lange, was to finish unbeaten on 65, an innings that contained a dozen boundaries and a maximum. Next week Nailsea host Old Park at The Grove, with a 1 o’clock start.

Friday night will see the second All Stars and Dynamos sessions at The Grove. Nearly 90 youngsters attended and their enthusiasm and skills were great to see. Under the guidance of coaches Terry Robinson and Gary Phippen and an army of helpers, a fantastic time was had by all.

The future and reinvigoration of junior cricket in Nailsea is off to a fine start.

Nailsea made the long trek to Oldfield Park on Saturday where, thanks to the thoughtful deployment of covers during the week, play was able to start on time, despite days of terrible weather.

Asked to bat first on a dry pitch, Oldfield made good progress against excellent Nailsea bowling. Pete Grace bowled his 8 overs for just 16 runs and with Mat Beadle picking up an early wicket and keeping the run rate under control, the visitors could be content with their position at half way.

However, the second half of the Oldfield innings was dominated by opener Pather, as he began to unleash a fine repotoire of shots to all corners.

Despite being dropped a number of times,(9!!!) he proceeded to put the Nailsea bowlers to the sword, finishing unbeaten on 130.

Mat Beadle finished with 2-42, Richard Billows 1- 26 and Mike Ready 1-28 from a full compliment of 8 overs, as Oldfield closed on 191 for 4. On such a cold, blustery day, excellent catches by Gary Phippen, James Baber and a diving Ready were to be applauded.

In reply, Ready and Ryan Orr made excellent progress, adding 52 for the first wicket, at a good rate, before Orr fell for 21.

Ready was then joined by skipper Phippen and the pair continued serenely to 72, at which point, the stars aligned for a freak occurrence!

Having faced the six balls of a normal over and with both scorers doing their thing, with heads down and pencils whirring, Nailsea’s umpires concluded that there was still a ball to go, at which point Phippen drilled a lovely straight drive back at the bowler.

With a deft left boot, the bowler somehow managed to deflect the ball on to the non strikers stumps, leaving Ready stranded and dismissed for a faultless 31!

Those who have played the game will recognise how harsh that kind of dismissal is, let alone off of a rogue seventh delivery!

Despite the loss, Nailsea continued to hunt down the Oldfield score.

Steve Lester, 12, and Matt Bedale, with 10, provided valuable, rapid, support to Phippen, but once he fell for a fine 71, it was always going to be a tough ask.

With Pather now introduced to the Oldfield attack and the run rate increasing, attack was the only option.

Whirling bats and straight deliveries were to end in a series of quick wickets and, ultimately, defeat, as every Nailsea batsman was to be bowled by the impressive Pather, who was to finish with 6 for 10, to add to his 100, as Nailsea finished 10 runs short.

With both sides grateful for the hard work of the ground staff, an entertaining game leaves Nailsea mid table as they head off for an away game at Brislington next weekend.

In blustery, chilly conditions at The Grove, Nailsea came off second best in their league encounter against Stapleton.

Having lost the toss, Nailsea found themselves batting first, with Gary Phippen and Andy Caine opening.

Caine was first to go for a couple and then Phippen for 14.

Rob Lange looked in positive touch with a hard hit 22, but with wickets tumbling at the other end, only Will Turner’s unbeaten 17 got Nailsea to a disappointing 80 all out.

However, hopes were raised as early wickets for Ian Sherreard ( 1-11 from 5 overs ) and Adrian Procter ( 1 – 18 from 4 overs ) courtesy of an excellent Steve Lester boundary catch, kept Nailsea in the game.

But that was to be the last Nailsea success on a frustrating day, as Stapleton ran out eventual 8 wicket victors.

Next week Nailsea face Oldfield Park.

Starting on Friday the 21st May, Nailsea will be running the hugely popular All Stars and Dynamos cricket sessions for children aged between 5 and 11. As a result, Senior nets will be moving from Friday evenings to Tuesdays, starting at 6.30.

As if to emphasise the quality of the pitches at Nailsea again this season, Nailsea Thirds took on St Mary Redcliffe in a game that was to yield just 6 wickets for well over 400 runs. Combined with the Second team game, only 11 wickets fell at the ground on Saturday whilst more than 850 runs were scored.

The Thirds batted first and after the early loss of Ben Foran, Tony Warren added a fine 35 before he too fell. Steve Pursey then joined Adrian Procter and the pair took Nailsea to 213 at tea, without further loss. Procter finished on a fine 91* with Pursey on 54*.

The day continued to offer little for the bowlers, as St Mary Redcliffe replied in fine style. Wickets for Rich Billows, Pursey and Manazar, could not contain the batsmen, as the target was reached for the loss of just 4 wickets. Mention to young James Warren, who bowled well in his spell without success.

Under a blue sky and with scorching temperatures, Nailsea Second team skipper Rich Kingscott took his life in his hands at home to Bedminster, by winning the toss and electing to field!

However, the decision proved to be correct as the Seconds recorded an emphatic 9 wicket victory. Early wickets for Nick Jervis (second ball), Neil Gladstone-Smith and Steve Spencer had Bedminster on the rack at 66-4, but Bedminster batted well in not losing any further wickets, reaching the break on an imposing 215-4.

In reply, Kingscott and Simon Hopkinson made steady progress. With the wicket still playing well, they accelerated rapidly, taking the partnership to 170, before the skipper fell for 58.

Kieron Walker then joined Hopkinson, as the pair saw Nailsea through to 216 without further loss. Hopkinson finished unbeaten on 84, Walker 22*, with extras contributing a significant 52!!

The win leaves the Seconds handily placed as we approach the halfway point in the season.