Saturday XI versus Lympsham & Belvedere CC (A)
Bears 122-7 20 overs
Lympsham 108-8 20 overs
It was a case of history repeating itself as the Bears made triumphant progress into the final of the Somerset Cup after a thrilling 14-run victory over old rivals Lympsham & Belvedere on Sunday morning, emulating the Class of ‘14 who won a similarly tight game there en route to Taunton five years ago.
Batting first on Lympsham’s picturesque, but small ground, the Bears huffed and puffed their way to 122-7 from their 20 overs, being indebted to a late Sam Vesey-inspired surge which crucially swung the momentum in the favour of Gunning’s men, a point from which they never looked back. Sam’s vital contribution of 28, supported by the skipper himself with 15 not out, added to the good earlier work of Ashwin Agrawal (37), meaning that the Bear Flat bowlers had something to bowl at as the home side set about their own innings.
And with a near-flawless bowling performance (Harris, Newman, Amner, Morris, Ellis), backed up by some high quality fielding (Wilson was excellent in the gully), the Bears squeezed the life out of the Lympsham response; an inspired Gunning scoring a direct hit from mid-on to dismiss Lympsham’s key batsman, Jack Luff, who hitherto had boasted a competition average of 185. On a day of bowling colossuses, once again, George Ellis was the star of the show, recording superb figures of 3-15, with Ross Newman another individual deserving of maximum credit for his excellent return of 1-18, as the home side limped (pun intended) to a final total of 108. Cue scenes of wild celebration with the travelling fans (thanks for your support – you were amazing), followed quickly by a flurry of holiday requests for Monday 5 August…
