WEYMOUTH 132 (17pts) beat WIMBORNE II 48 (5pts) by 84 runs

A BRILLIANT captain’s performance from Lloyd Beals has put Weymouth back in the winner’s circle in County Division One, the Seasiders defeating Wimborne by 84 runs at Redlands.

Beals reined in his usual attacking instincts to rescue his side from 48-5, with his patient 36 not out and a costly extras tally helping Weymouth rally to 132 all out in the 41st over.

With the ball he struck early to dismiss opener Harry Prince, and in tandem with Adam Hoyes (1-17) he rattled through Wimborne’s top order to leave them 39-6 at the end of the 15th over. 

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Neil Walton (2-1) and Harry Mitchell (2-8) then did the rest of the damage, with Weymouth holding all of their catches to bowl their opposition out for 48 inside 20 overs.

It was a difficult day for batting, with Beals the only batter to pass 20 in the match, however Wimborne’s inability to build partnerships saw them fall away rapidly. Only one pair was able to put on a stand of more than 10 runs, while Ben Waddington (10) was the only batter to reach double figures.

Earlier on in the day it had been Wimborne captain Martin Barker who found success with the new ball, bowling nine overs straight and finishing with figures of 4-26. Morgan Wareham (1-25) chimed in to knock over Walton (16), and when Prince had Ben Lawes (14) caught behind the visitors were well on top. 

Beals combined with the tail to see his side past three figures, and while none of his remaining partners scored heavily they hung around to frustrate Wimborne, who bowled 45 extras throughout the innings. 

Eventually, it was impressive young quick Barney Overton (2-23) who cleaned up the tail to give them an attainable run chase, one they were unable to reach thanks to the disciplined fielding and bowling performance of their opposition.

Beals spoke to Echosport at the conclusion of the match.

“Good win, fielding and bowling was excellent, it was a dominant display,” Beals said.

“I was disappointed in both batting performances. I wish a few of my batters applied themselves a bit better, it was tough to bat on and they’re a great bowling attack.

“People didn’t want to take much responsibility, blaming ‘a good nut’ or ‘tough pitch’ as an acceptable excuse to be out.

“We lost the toss and didn’t put a highly competitive score on the board. A lot of heads went down after the previous week's loss, but once we got a couple of wickets, you could sense the mood swing and it was infectious right throughout the team, we were only winning the game from there.”

Weymouth Seconds were overcome by Christchurch in their match on Saturday, falling 68 runs short in their pursuit of the hosts’ score of 202-8. The game was rain-affected, with the innings reduced to 34 overs per side. 

Graham Puckett (3-45) and Andy Jeffreys (2-44) were the best of the bowlers, while Marco Nott hit an unbeaten 58 as the side battled hard but ultimately could not overcome their opponents.

This Saturday, Weymouth travel to Stalbridge, while the second team take on Colehill at Redlands (both 1pm).

Dorset Trade Skills man of the match: Lloyd Beals.