CRICKET: Ilminster lose out in Major Club Cup final at County Ground

ILMINSTER can hold their heads high despite suffering an end-of-season disappointment yesterday (Sunday, September 7, 2014) in a 17-run defeat at the CountyGround in the final of the Major Club Cup.

Sam Spurway’s side had gone into the match at Taunton with Weston-super-Mare hoping to complete a fantastic league and cup double having already secured the championship in Premier Two of the West of England League.

But the Twenty20 game which unfolded showed how explosive and how cruel the quickfire format can be.

Weston opened the batting and it was first blood to Ilminster when opening bowler Louis Kraucamp struck in the opening over when Sam Trego was caught by Josh Lee for four.

PHOTO - ABOVE: Ilminster line-up following their Major Club Cup final defeat at the County Ground in Taunton.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Ilminster skipper Sam Spurway with the runners-up shield.

But John Davidson and John Williams steadied the Weston ship and they marched on to 77 before Davidson was run out in the ninth over for 28.

Weston reached the halfway point on 81-3 with wicket-keeper Spurway having stumped former Somerset man Rob Turner for a duck.

Williams smashed a six in the 14th over to go past his individual 50 and Weston’s overall 100, but he departed the following over for 53 when he was caught out on the boundary.

The score soon became 113-5 when Shabil Ahmed was stumped by Spurway and he claimed his hat-trick of stumpings when Andrew Fear departed off the bowling of Matt Davis to leave 125-6.

That score became 134-7 at the end of the penultimate 19th over when Richard Ellswood caught Weston skipper Chris Davidson.

The game was very much in Ilminster’s favour, but it swung back towards Weston when Ashley Allen swung the bat in the final over off of Dan Vining and plundered 24 runs to close on 158-7 with Allen finishing on a swashbuckling 32 not out.

Ilminster’s reply started badly with them losing a wicket in the first over – just as Weston had done.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Ilminster celebrate an early breakthrough in the Weston-super-Mare batting line-up.

Former Somerset man Charl Willoughby uprooted Kraucamp’s stumps which saw the Ilminster dangerman heading back for just four.

Fellow opener Johnny Warry and Sam Spurway got themselves in and moved the score on to 37 before Spurway departed for nine in the sixth over.

The ninth over saw Warry, who had been looking impressive, depart for 26 when he was caught out on the boundary off the bowling of Sam Trego.

Matt Davis hit 22 before he went in the tenth over which finished with Ilminster on 67-4. Weston were 81-3 at the same stage of their innings.

Ilminster’s hopes relied on the experienced duo of Jon Hurford and Craig Rice in the middle and they certainly got their side back in the game.

They suffered a big setback in the 16th over when Rice departed for 21 having been caught and bowled by Trego and then Hurford went in the 18th for 38 when he skied one for an easy catch.

It was virtually game over for Ilminster although the end of the 19th over they were on 136-6, whereas Weston had been on 134-7 at that same stage.

But there was to be no smash-and-grab final over heroics from Ilminster and they closed on 141-7.

Despite the defeat Ilminster have had a fantastic season and Spurway admitted after the game that anyone who had said to him at the start of the summer that they would win Premier Two and come runners-up in a County Ground cup final, he would have taken that.

It has been a job well done by Ilminster - roll on 2015!

More photos and reaction later.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Ilminster begin to see their cup hopes slip away at the County Ground.

PHOTO - ABOVE LEFT: Ilminster opener Johnny Warry looked in good form before getting out for 26.

PHOTO - ABOVE RIGHT: Matt Davis made 22 for Ilminster.

PHOTO - ABOVE: Craig Rice hit 21 for Ilminster at the County Ground.

PHOTO - ABOVE: Jon Hurford walks back after smashing 38 runs for Ilminster. His departure virtually ensured that Ilminster would not be enjoying cup final success.

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