Timsbury recovered from another indifferent start to ultimately run out comfortable 29-run winners at home to Shirehampton in the Bristol and District League Senior Division. From 74-5 Timsbury did well to reach 211 and by the end the visitors were content to bat for bonus points.

After electing to bat first the home side lost three early wickets but opener Mark Sage battled through against some testing bowling and in partnership with Kev Sibley took the score to 74 before Sage was caught immediately after reaching a well deserved 50. The in-form Graeme Webb followed him straight away and Timsbury looked in trouble. Sibley was then joined by Jesse Bishop, however, and the two of them transformed the home side’s fortunes.

Timing the ball beautifully Bishop played one of his best innings for the club and with Sibley doing what he does best and adding solid support, the pair added a rapid 95 runs. Like Sage, Bishop reached an excellent 50 before departing immediately. Captain Jon Strand struck a quick 22 and Sibley was last man out for another crucial knock of 36. Danny Conway (3-26) was Shirehampton’s most successful bowler.

When the visitors replied they were soon in trouble but from 5-2 they recovered thanks to a partnership of 73 between Gareth Nicholls  and Dhanush Thiagaraj before Neil Hucker removed the latter for 37. Greg Passingham dismissed the dangerous Nicholls for 46 and bowled Rogers for 0 as Timsbury took a stranglehold on the match. Shirehampton declined to 134-7 but visiting captain Stillwell remained defiant and ushered his team to 182-7 at the close. There were two wickets each for Sibley, Hucker and Passingham.

Timsbury seconds came out on the wrong side of a high quality match away to Bristol Pakistanis seconds losing by 33 runs in the Bristol and District League Division 6. The home side rattled up an imposing  244-5 with young Oli Hulbert again bowling well to take 3-30. Timsbury made a spirited reply and when Dan Hill and Gary Pearcy were together the target looked well in sight. When the two were dismissed in quick succession, Hill for 73 and Pearcy for 30 the effort stalled and despite a rapid 41 from Rob Clothier Timsbury came up short.

Malcolm Tucker

For the second time in three days Timsbury had the better of Keynsham 2^nd XI with a 31-run home win in the Bristol and District League Senior Division. It followed a win in the Somerset Cup competition.

After a slow start to the present campaign Timsbury have now notched up two successive victories and like the previous Saturday it was largely based on a solid batting performance. Mark Sage(33) and Sol Thompson (32) gave the innings a good base and then later on Graeme Webb joined Kev Sibley to push Timsbury past the 200 mark. Webb was in particularly sparkling form hitting four sixes in his knock of 59 with Sibley contributing an invaluable 33. Ryan Evans (3-40) was Keynsham’s most successful bowler.

Neil Hucker made early inroads when the visitors batted and recorded outstanding figures of 4-11 from his nine overs. Mark Branton was the mainstay of the Keynsham innings with an undefeated 79 but a spell of three wickets in two overs from Jesse Bishop, at the point when Keynsham looked in with a real chance, tied up the game. Evans built a partnership with Branton to deny Timsbury full bowling points but the home side were well satisfied with the 31 run win.

Timsbury second XI had a comprehensive nine-wicket win away to previously unbeaten league leaders Pucklechurch in the Bristol and District League Division 6. The home side were bowled out for 93 in just over 26 overs with the damage done by the club’s promising young brigade. Ollie Hulbert again impressed with figures of 4-35, Joe Kinnear took 2-7, Seb Nix 2-12 and Zak Cox 2-21. Captain Ben Hosford and Adam Workman then came close to knocking the runs off by  themselves before Hosford was dismissed for 43. Workman finished unbeaten on 39 with Dave Nowell joining him to finish the job off.

To complete a good day for the club Timsbury 3^rd XI were six-wicket winners at home to Frenchay 4^th XI in the Bristol and District League Division 14. Frenchay were dismissed for 121 with the chairman’s son Liam Hosford leading the way with 3-20 with Neil Hulford taking 2-18. A fine innings of 54 from Will Rawlings led the successful response with good support from Matt Ball (23), Ben Smith (18 not out) and George Webb (14).

Malcolm Tucker

Timsbury’s league season is up and running after a fine all-round performance saw them win by 93 runs away to Claverham (Yatton) in the Bristol and District League Senior Division. It was the only fixture in their division to survive the elements and Timsbury took full advantage to secure their first league success of the present campaign.

After being put in to bat the visitors lost an early wicket but Mark Sage and Sol Thompson then steadied the ship with a partnership of 76 before Thompson, who impressed after stepping up from the seconds, was dismissed for 16. Sage followed soon after for 53 and when Jack Williams was out for 14 the innings was in the balance at 107-4.

Former Dyrham and Hinton team mates Kev Sibley and Graeme Webb then came together to stabilise the challenge with a crucial partnership of 81 before Sibley was bowled for 30. Webb continued to reach a well deserved half-century and after he was bowled for 52 Timsbury progressed to 223-8 in the 43 over match. Richard Carpenter recorded the best bowling figures with 3-27 in his four overs.

Claverham made  a steady start in reply and had reached 53 before their second wicket fell. Sibley followed up his batting effort by conceding just 15 runs in his nine overs and when Neil Hucker took two quick wickets the rot set in. Dominic Hooper did his best to hold the innings together but when he was seventh out for 47 the end soon came. Webb cleaned up the tail to follow his 52 with figures of 4-15.

Timsbury will be hoping to capitalise on this first win on Saturday when they welcome local rivals Keynsham seconds to the Recreation Field.

Malcolm Tucker

Timsbury are still searching for their first league win of the season after being well beaten at home to Bradley Stoke in the Bristol and District League Senior Division. The visitors were dismissed for  217 in the last over of their innings but Timsbury were a sorry 88-7 when heavy rain brought a premature end to proceedings with Bradley Stoke winners on run rate.

The visitors’ innings was held together by opener Tom Laver who hit 83 before he was sixth man out with the score on 160. Joe Coles boosted the total late on with an undefeated 31 against a disappointingly lacklustre Timsbury side. Graeme Webb was the home side’s most successful bowler with 4-48 and there were two wickets each for Sam Hoddinott (2-32) , Greg Passingham (2-48) and Jon Strand who took the last Bradley Stoke wickets in their final over to claim full bowling points.

The Timsbury innings never got going. Mark Sage, Adam Brinkworth and Jack Williams were all back under the gazebo with just 10 on the board. When Webb followed soon after Timsbury were 21-4. Kev Sibley and Jesse Bishop mounted a mini recovery but their stand came to a close on 60 and when the rain came the home side were facing another heavy loss. Bishop (19) and Gary Pearcy with an undefeated 19 were top scorers. Dan Peters with 4-30 was the most successful Bradley Stoke bowler.

There was much better news of Timsbury’s second team who notched their first win of the season with an 86 run victory away to Almondsbury seconds in Division 6 of the Bristol and District League. The star of the show was Sol Thompson who struck a superb 111 in the Timsbury challenge of 244-8. His knock included 18 fours and two sixes and he was well supported by Paul Cracknell (35), Dan Hill (27) and Joe KInnear (23). The home side were never in reach of the total but they proved defiant  and after their 40 overs were a mere 158-5 with half centuries for Walker and Phillips. Opening bowlers Ollie Hulbert and Matt Brown both took two wickets and there was a miserly spell from Dave Nowell who bowled his eight overs for just 13 runs.

Malcolm Tucker

It was a disappointing start to the new league cricket season for Timsbury Cricket Club with defeats for all three teams. There was a huge gulf in the margins of defeat, however, with the first team losing by ten wickets at home to Frenchay but the third team going down by just four runs at home to Chipping Sodbury fourths.

The senior side were outplayed by a strong Frenchay outfit who had been relegated from the West of England Premier League alongside Timsbury in 2019. Having elected to bat first the home side lost Mark Sage in the first over and thereafter it was a catalogue of dismissals against a potent Bristol attack. Gary Pearcy and captain Jon Strand who both made 18 and vice-captain Adam Brinkworth (17) were the only batsmen to reach double figures as Timsbury were shot out for 78.

Eddie Williams (4-25) and Chare Smith (3-10) were the most successful of the visitors’ bowlers.  To rub salt in the wounds Reece Bevan (48 not out) and Mike Donaldson (28 not out) saw Frenchay home for a ten wicket win in less than 13 overs.

An innings of 151 not out from opener Roshan Perera was the deciding factor in the second team’s 57 run defeat away to Bristol Sri Lankans 1^st XI. He played a  fine innings but Timsbury will rue a number of fielding errors that proved costly. In an innings of 267-5 young Timsbury bowler Zak Cox can hold his head high with figures of 1-21 from his eight overs. After losing two early wickets Sol Thompson (73) and Dan Hill (65) came together to give the seconds hope but a mid-order collapse saw them eventually finish well short.

Timsbury thirds were happy to bowl out Chipping Sodbury fourths for 137 at the school ground. Chairman’s son Freddie Hosford led the way with fine figures of 2-14 from  his seven overs and  Matt Bryant took 2-21 from his allotment. Dave Nowell led the response with 28 but a spell of 5-19 from Mike Pearson proved crucial as Timsbury slipped to a four run defeat.

Malcolm Tucker