WITCHAMPTON 107-3 (18pts) beat BEAMINSTER 106-6 (3pts) by seven wickets

BEAMINSTER fell to a seven-wicket defeat at a soggy Witchampton in County Division One.

Ross Baker’s men travelled in heavy rain and arrived to find a damp pitch and sodden outfield.

Still waiting for a win this season, Beaminster’s bad luck continued as the Witches won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Batting proved exceptionally difficult on a track that has seen consistently low scores this season – even in dry weather.

Harrison Bowles (2-16) and Adam Croker (2-28) both harnessed the conditions well.

Miserly bowling of Gavin Wayman (0-7) and Ricky Hempstead (0-6) added pressure to Beaminster, who were indebted to 32 from opener Will Moss for the bulk of their runs.

Will Everitt (20no) and Baker (24no) ensured the visitors scrambled into triple figures, aided by 22 extras.

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Set 107 to win, Witchampton took their time in reaching the target as Beaminster also bowled tightly – spurred on by 2-16 for Ollie Bareham.

However, 43 not out for tall left-hander Wayman gave Witchampton victory with eight wickets to spare.

Baker said: “They had a lot of rain overnight and in the morning.

“We were quite surprised the game was going ahead. We drove up there in constant rain, the pitch was pretty damp.

“They’d covered the wicket but the outfield was quite wet – they were keen to get the game on.

“We lost the toss and had to bat first. The conditions were very difficult, the outfield was long, really hard work.

“We were going at one an over for nearly 30 overs, so we had no idea what a good score would be. Thankfully, we got over 100.

“They actually struggled to get them and if it wasn’t for (Wayman) we’d have won.”

Looking ahead to the next fixture at home to Marnhull on Saturday, Baker said: “I think we’ve got a good chance.

“Their form isn’t great, we’re at home and a few players are back.

“We’re just trying to enjoy our cricket as much as we can. The spirit is still pretty high, so we’ll go out and give it our best shot.”

Beaminster’s Cricket Week continues into this weekend, with an under-14s game tonight and a T20 game tomorrow before Marnhull on Saturday and an inter-club youth game on Sunday.

Beaminster: W Moss, A Moss, Park, Jones, Baker, Bareham, Edmunds, Edwards, H Everitt, Hansford, AN Other.