Monmouth Scientific Somerset League
Division 3
Burnham-on-Sea 313-6 beat Huntspill & District 307-7 by 6 runs

BURNHAM-ON-SEA just about came out on top in a local derby match which saw 620 runs scored in 80 overs at Huntspill & District’s Memorial Ground on Saturday.

Put in to bat, Burnham openers Brad House and Peter Harris started steadily against the new ball, but both grew in confidence and runs began to flow.

Both of them reached chanceless half-centuries and their partnership passed 100.

Then, having added 171 with Harris and closing in on a century, House (94 off 75 balls) was caught in the deep by Wayne Hand off Jake Randall’s bowling.

Randall soon had Harris (80) caught behind, but it didn’t really slow down the visitors, as Rob Driver (38), Matt Dibble (10) and Connor Lefrere (18) all played aggressively.

Randall kept chipping away and finished with 4-60, but this didn’t stop Lee Coles (38*) and Jim Birkett (16*) pushing on to a final score of 313-6.

The Huntspill reply didn’t get off to the best start, with Sam Lillycrop (5) trapped lbw by Harris.

Nick Slack scored a quick-fire 25 but he was bowled by Harris to leave the home side on 37-2 from five overs.

Matt Osmant and Wayne Hand had work to do, but much like House and Harris built a steady partnership and the longer they stayed in the more the scoring rate increased.

They added 137 together, before Osmant fell for 87, caught in the deep to give Harris (3-49) his third victim.

Hand brought up his first 50 for the club but both he and Randall (12) fell in quick succession to Driver (3-53).

Huntspill needed an unlikely 116 off the last 10 overs, so Shaun Lismore stepped it up with a quick-fire 33, before Matt Counsell joined Mark Whitmarsh.

With 32 required from the last two overs, Whitmarsh (46) was bowled by Dibble, but a four and six from Counsell took the game to the last over.

Twelve was required off the final two balls to tie; Counsell (30*) hit the first of those for six, but couldn’t repeat the feat, and Burnham won by six runs.

Burnham sit six points clear at the top of the table, ahead of hosting Taunton St Andrews 3rds this Saturday; Huntspill go to Crewkerne.