MINEHEAD hosted second placed Castle Cary CC on Saturday, looking to bounce back from a defeat the previous week against top of the league Taunton Deane.

With rain falling, the start of the match was delayed by over an hour, losing 10 overs in total meaning that by the time the skies had cleared, the fixture had been reduced to 40 overs a side.

Despite the rain, Castle Cary won the toss and decided to bat first in what seemed bowler friendly conditions.

The Minehead bowlers proved this to be the case, as Harry Tudball produced a beauty to find the edge of Latham’s bat, which Andrew Stevens caught.

Alfie Rucklidge struck in the next over as he sent Elsworth’s middle stump flying, to reduce the visitors to 13-2.

This brought captain Joe Atkins and Matt Holland to the crease, both dropped early on the pair built a fantastic partnership for the away side and raced the score past 100.

Bowditch rotated his bowlers as Anan Rajan and Harry Swann bowled well without luck, before Ellis Taylor was introduced to break the stand with the score on 132, as Chris James took a crucial catch at deep mid-wicket to see off Atkins for 60.

Another 50 partnership was made though as Holland passed 50 himself, until the leg-spin of Ian Buchanan trapped Chainey LBW for 20.

A run out brought the next wicket to make it 184-5.

Matt Holland continued to find the boundary and was inching ever closer to three figures, before he was bowled by Buchanan for 93.

In the final 10 overs the scoring rate had quickly reduced thanks to regular wickets.

Freddie Wilson produced a run out at the non-striker’s end with the return throw, Buchanan picked up his third wicket, and Rucklidge picked up a wicket in his second spell, with Wilson making no mistake on the boundary.

Rucklidge finished off the innings with his third wicket, as Castle Cary were all out for 248 in the final over.

With high winds and the sun finally appearing, batting conditions were in Minehead’s favour in the second innings, with Buchanan and Wilson making the most of things by reaching 50 without loss in just the 8th over, which soon became 100-0 in the 13th.

Buchanan was the first to reach 50, before Wilson launched an attack on the spin from Holland, firing 4 maximums deep over the boundary to hand the initiative to The Pirates, bringing up his own half-century in the process.

The scoreboard read 120-0, before Wilson was well held by Atkins for 59 from just 36 balls, and Buchanan edged behind for a run a ball 53.

At 125-2 with 124 still required, but 24 overs left- Minehead knew that sensible batting would get them over the line.

Josh Hurley and Dan Bowditch kept the scoreboard ticking over and added 83 runs before Hurley was bowled for 20.

Bowditch continued his fine run reaching another half-century, and thumped 4 sixes in his 79 not out to steer the Pirates home to a six wicket victory in the 35th over ably supported by Stevens (10) and Ellis Taylor who ended 4 not out.

The win takes Minehead to third place in the table, 8 points adrift from top spot as they travel to Shapwick & Polden next week.