Scorecard

Mere Cricket Club Mere CC 1st XI v Horningsham on Sun 31 Aug 2014 at 2.00
Mere Cricket Club Won by 40 runs

Match report The 3rd/4th play-off match was due to be held at Horningsham but they agreed to play the match at Mere and give up the home advantage their artificial pitch offers.
With Captain Weir still injured, ‘Stand in’ Skipworth won his 2nd toss in succession and chose to bat on what looked like to be a well prepared track. The new covers had helped in ensuring the wicket was a nice straw colour and a few cracks were present too.
Mere sent in the young guns – Will and George. Horningsham’s ‘ringer’ (he only ever seems to play against Mere) opened the bowling but looked a shadow of the bowler we saw the previous year (it was later found out that he had the hangover from hell) but he still managed to get one through Will’s defences early on. Enter Matt Pitts who has been looking good for most of the season and not made the scores his play deserved.
George succumbed to the first change bowler with 22 on the board. Pitts and Skipworth had to apply themselves against some good, tight bowling and just as the shoulders were being opened, Skipworth smashed one straight at mid-on – 6 feet to either side of the fielder and it was 4 but the fielder held it and he departed for 36.
Pitts passed 50 in a measured knock and with Mark W put together a solid partnership which got Mere to 176 off their 40 overs - Pitts ended 62* and Mark W 38*.
Tea was a great ‘team’ effort and the Rutherford Bakery cakes were a delight.
Target set, ‘Stand in’ Skipworth then hoped the bowlers had banished memories of the Kilmington match. Dave was good down the hill and had no luck. Meanwhile, Danny bowled up the hill and grabbed the first wickets. Dad Sean came on, grabbed a 3rd and Mere seemed to be in the driving seat. Whitmore came on a bowled a tight spell which included a drop at leg slip by ‘Stand-in’ Skipworth (he even put himself there!). The run rate continued to rise against some tight bowling. Lewis bowled a great little spell and picked up a deserved wicket while Will grabbed another at the other end.
Dave and Danny returned – Danny picking up a further 2 wickets and Dave grabbed the final 2 wickets in a great finishing spell. Mere ended as winners by 40 runs and took the 3rd place honours in what was a great team effort. Special praise for the Pitts\Williams partnership as it took us to, what in the end was, a very competitive score and to the bowlers for putting the Kilmington mauling behind them so emphatically.
At the Walnut Tree, news filtered through that Plush were crowned the 2014 3 Counties League champions, beating Kilmington in the final at their own ground.

Mere Cricket Club Mere CC 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
6nb 10w 9b 2lb 
for 3 wickets
27
176		        
William Batty Smith b White 0
George Cassidy b Hilleary 7 1 1
Matt Pitts Not Out  62 5
Ben Skipworth ct Hilleary b Oborne 36 5
Mark Williams Not Out  38 6
Dave Rutherford  
Mark Cassidy  
Danny Harkin  
Sean Harkin  
Kevin Whitmore  
Lewis Wood  

Horningsham Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
C O'Connor4.13200.000.48
White3.0013113.004.33
Hilleary8.0035135.004.38
Hayne7.003900.005.57
Widdows7.513100.003.96
Oborne7.0031131.004.43
Bolton3.001400.004.67

Horningsham Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
15w 7b 3lb 
for 10 wickets
25
136 (38.0 overs)		     
Hilleary b D Harkin 2
Grugeon b D Harkin 0
Abbottopolous ct G Cassidy, b S Harkin 2
Bolton b Batty-Smith 33
T Oborne b Whitmore 12
Haine b Wood 23
Widdows ct S Harkin, b D Harkin 13
White ct , b Rutherford 15
Evans b D Harkin 0
D O'Connor b Rutherford 5
C O'Connor Not Out  3

Mere Cricket Club Mere CC 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Dave Rutherford7.0020210.002.86
Danny Harkin8.011744.252.13
Sean Harkin8.0125125.003.12
Kevin Whitmore7.0118118.002.57
Lewis Wood4.0016116.004.00
William Batty Smith4.0027127.006.75