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Whitchurch v Ilchester

WHITCHURCH Cricket Club completed their first match of the season in dramatic fashion on a cold Sunday afternoon.

It was a game of contrasting fortunes with each side holding the advantage for considerable periods. Visitors Ilchester fielded first and, like Whitchurch, used the fixture as a pre-season practice.

Rob Bone and Martin Credicott got the home side off to a good start with Bone (39) starting his season with three boundaries. He, and man of the match Ben Powell, put on a stand of 58 to give the early advantage to Whitchurch. Josh Meadows upped the pace with a quick fire 50 including three sixes before retiring. The lower order then scrambled a few runs setting Ilchester a difficult total of 229.

At 10-2 Whitchurch had the early advantage. Josh Sutton (68) returning to the club after a number of years had different ideas. He and Pickford (71) had the home team scurrying around.

A flurry of boundaries, 23 including three sixes dragged Ilchester from 84 for 4 to 188 for 6 with the target looking increasingly achievable. The required run rate had dropped alarmingly, the fielding and bowling were looking ragged. Defeat looked the more likely option.

Martin Credicott introduced Ben Powell and he took a wicket in his first over. With 26 runs coming from the next over it looked as though the game was over.

Powell then produced a remarkable hat trick that transformed the match. The hat trick delivery ballooned towards Tom Dunne who performed a juggling act before finally clutching the ball. He was promptly buried under celebrating team mates and Powell left the field with career best figures of four wickets for six runs.