Bridgwater 1st XI 169 Ashcott & Shapwick 1st XI 163-9 (Bridgwater won by six runs)
Ashcott & Shapwick are still looking for their first victory in WEPL Premier 1 after a narrow defeat against champions Bridgwater at Northbrook Road on Saturday.
After Ashcott captain Tinnion again lost the toss, Bridgwater's second-wicket pair of Michael Coles (35) and Mitchell Windsor (21) scored quickly following the early exit of opener Hallaran.
After both were dismissed by James Haggett, the scoring rate was slowed by home spin bowlers Will Sobczak and Nayan Karmakar as wickets fell regularly.
Once Todd Barrett was caught and bowled for a patient 38, the innings folded quickly, with the visitors being all out for a below-par 169. Karmakar claimed 3-31 from his ten overs.
Ashcott's reply got off to a poor start when Freddie Oldfield was out for a duck but, led by Daniel Cooper (33), they recovered to a respectable 54-2 before an all too familiar middle-order collapse.
At 70-6, the hosts' prospects looked poor as runs proved difficult against the bowling of Coles and Thomas Drake but the seventh-wicket pair of Wayne Spencer and Dan Rudge slowly recovered the situation with a partnership of 48 before Spencer was run out for 20.
With overs running out, some fine drives from Rudge had taken the score to 142 before he was the eighth man out for 43.
The remaining batsmen were unable to lift the tempo sufficiently as the innings closed just short on 163-9.
Match sponsors: Albion Truck stop and café. Match ball sponsors: Agrisol Ltd and Jigsaw Bag in the Box.
Ashcott & Shapwick booked their place in the next round of the National Twenty20 Cup with victories over Taunton St Andrews and Bridgwater on Sunday.
First Ashcott gained quick revenge for Saturday's defeat when they beat Bridgwater by 33 runs. Batting first, they reached 91-7 off 14 overs after losing four quick wickets to spinner Todd Barrett, thanks mainly to Dan Rudge (30) and Steve Tinnion (35).
A flurry of fine strokes by Sam Edmunds, who scored 47 in just 21 balls, lifted the final total to a useful 153-8.
After Ben Rudge had dismissed both home openers, the game seemed evenly poised when a partnership between Chris Gange (15) and Jonathan Vickery (38) took Bridgwater to 89-3.
However, wickets fell regularly and the innings closed on 120-9, with Rudge taking 4-20 from his four overs.
It was a closer affair against Taunton, with Ashcott again batting first. They lost both openers inside the first two overs but Tinnion and Edmunds, who both scored 26, laid the platform for some big hitting at the end of innings as Ben Rudge (31) top-scored in a total of 134-8.
Despite losing wickets regularly in their quest for quick runs, Taunton always appeared slight favourites to win while Robbie Contreras (48) was at the wicket and while the extras mounted up.
Taunton were within ten runs of their target in the 16th over when Dan Rudge bowled the last man to claim his fourth wicket of the innings.
