Ledbury Cricket Club enjoyed a highly successful weekend as both the 1st and 2nd XI secured convincing victories over local rivals, continuing their strong form across the leagues, writes Tom Bowring.
On a sun-drenched afternoon at Orlham Lane, the 1st XI hosted Wormelow in a keenly contested derby. Captain Rhys Gunter lost the toss, with the visitors electing to bat first, but Ledbury’s bowlers quickly took control.
Opening the attack, Vicky Evans delivered an excellent spell of accurate left-arm bowling, finishing with 2 wickets from her 9 overs and setting the standard early on.
Support came from pace bowlers David Nash and Tom Hill, who both maintained disciplined lines and lengths to claim a wicket each. Jamie Turner once again proved his value with the ball, his entertaining leg spin yielding two crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs.
The standout performer, however, was Chaz Barber. His superb spell of 4 wickets earned him man-of-the-match honours. Barber came close to a memorable hat-trick after taking two wickets in consecutive deliveries, only for the third ball to be struck to the boundary.
Wormelow were eventually dismissed for 150 in the 35th over, leaving Ledbury with a manageable chase.
In response, Ledbury adopted an aggressive approach by promoting Turner to open the innings. The move initially paid dividends as he struck a couple of boundaries, but he was dismissed for 11.
Tom Bowring then helped steady the innings alongside Tom Hill, playing fluently for his 33 runs before falling with the score at 103-2. Captain Gunter added a brisk 21, while Hill anchored the innings superbly, finishing unbeaten on 50 to guide Ledbury to victory and keep them third in the league standings.
Meanwhile, the 2nd XI travelled the short distance to Ross-on-Wye and mirrored the success of the first team with a strong all-round display. Captain Sam Wilcox won the toss and opted to field, a decision that proved immediately effective.
Ed Nolan led the attack with an impressive 4-wicket haul, dismantling the Ross top order. Arron Almond, recently returned from injury, produced a remarkable spell of leg spin to also claim 4 wickets, underlining his importance to the side. Archie Mussell and David Copestake chipped in with a wicket apiece as Ross were bowled out for 146 in the 34th over.
Ledbury’s reply began shakily, losing two early wickets to sit at 20-2. However, Richard Orders and Chris Ritchie both contributed vital innings of 28 to rebuild the chase.
After their departures at 103-4, Simon Ritchie (36) and Copestake (27) ensured there were no further scares, calmly guiding the side to a six-wicket win and rounding off an excellent weekend for the club.
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