Doctors 151 for 3

Goathurst 70 all out

Doctors made their best start to the season with a 99 run stand between Keith Powell and Dave Rooke. The hard, true Wembdon wicket allowed no margin for error by the bowlers and both batsmen were severe on anything fractionally short or overpitched. Richard Gower (2-10) showed his colleagues the benefits of bowling straight on a length as Rooke (33) lost his leg stump in trying to accelerate. Powell (51) soon followed in identical fashion and John Ogle (8) mishit to midwicket off Dan Clarkson (1-14). The last thing that the visitors wanted to see in this situation was Graham Fergusson limping to the wicket and he lived up to his reputation with a high tempo cameo of 33 not out which lifted the total to formidable proportions.

Goathurst’s reply got off to the worst possible start as John Down (2-4) and Ben Rich (1-9) found seam movement at pace and claimed the first three wickets for 8 runs. The only Goathurst batsman to take the fight to the opposition was Tom Smith who was alert to punish bad balls and good alike and lifted his team’s spirits with 20 runs from one over. After these pyrotechnics the Goathurst chances of victory died as Smith went in to his shell against more accurate bowling from Sam Powell and Peter Reed (1-13) and Fergusson (1-0) showed his all-round talents with the crucial wicket of Smith (37) who misread a topspinner. The consistency and movement of Steve Witts (3-1) was too good for the tail and Ogle (1-1) applied the coup de grace.