Frome Storm pass Butleigh

Records tumbled as Frome 1st XI crushed fourth-placed Butleigh to continue their strong start to the WEPL Somerset Division season on Saturday.

On a scorching day at Fromefield, the home side won the toss and had no hesitation in batting. The new opening partnership of David Dredge and Paul Sanger were aggressive from the start, dispatching anything wayward from the Butleigh opening bowlers.

With ten overs gone the score was already 69-0 and, despite Butleigh ringing the bowling changes, the pattern continued as Sanger and Dredge continued with ease.

The pair brought up the 100 partnership inside 14 overs and had already set Frome the ideal platform for an imposing total. Sanger passed a fluent 50, and Dredge looked set to do the same until he was bowled advancing to the spin of Bilsborough for a well-made 45.

This brought together Bleakley and Sanger and the pair began a partnership that had been threatened previously but never completed. In the next ten overs they ran the Butleigh fielders ragged, stealing singles and taking twos to almost every boundary fielder on a wicket offering little help for the bowlers.

At the halfway point the score had reached 158-1 and Bleakley reached 50 without appearing to have taken a risk before the 200 came up as Butleigh turned to a seventh different bowler.

Sanger and Bleakley were regularly taking nine or ten from each over and Sanger brought up a deserved hundred to applause from a sizeable home crowd.

Thoughts were now turning to a second declaration of the season as both batsmen flayed the bowling to all parts of the ground. Bleakley reached three figures himself as the score passed 300 and the partnership reached 150.

The stand was finally ended when Sanger was run out for a majestic 131 and Smith joined Bleakley, who was now striking fours and sixes at will.

Smith struck a four and a six of his own and in the 45th over – knowing a declaration was coming – Bleakley struck several boundaries to move to a superb 150 before Smith skied a catch to deep-midwicket and Frome declared on 382-3 after 44.5 overs.

In reply, Butleigh faced a near impossible task but came out swinging. This played into the hands of Neal, whose excellent control made him more difficult to get away than any bowler on the day.

He picked up two early wickets to leave Butleigh 18-2 and then produced a beauty to bowl Hicks. He soon completed a deserved five-wicket Haul as he had Parnell and Weston caught in the slips.

Mark Sanger replaced Wheeler’s brief spell and, as the Butleigh batsmen went after the leg-spinner, this played into his hands.

Despite a few early sixes, Frome had plenty of runs to play with and Sanger’s persistence was rewarded with two quick wickets as he bowled Edmonson and Drew.

Brearey was providing the only real resistance for Butleigh with several sixes but Sanger was still hungry for wickets and had Durston caught in the gully by his brother before a brilliant low catch by Gullock gave him a fourth wicket to leave Butleigh 98-9.

Only a dogged last-wicket partnership denied Frome a further two bonus points but Sanger eventually had Brearery caught at slip after a well-made half-century.

Frome remain top of the table ahead of Saturday’s trip to Street.

The Match ball was kindly sponsored by Mr & Mrs M Penny