MOD Abbeywood CC 106/6 beat Stoke Gifford Twenty20 55 by 51 runs
Stoke Gifford’s Twenty20 side suffered a tough home defeat against MOD Abbeywood CC in Division 6 East, falling 51 runs short after a difficult second-innings collapse.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Stoke Gifford made an immediate impact in the field. Bill Gatea struck early to remove George Rowen for a duck with the score on just 2. MOD Abbeywood began to rebuild through Gary Nash (17) and Rory Thomas (15), but Stoke Gifford swung the momentum back in their favour through an excellent spell from Alex Thompson Juan.
Thompson Juan proved to be the standout bowler for the hosts, returning figures of 3-17 from his three overs. He broke the second-wicket partnership by removing Nash, then bowled Thomas shortly after before claiming George Clark for 4, leaving the visitors struggling at 49/4. Rich Stadden maintained the pressure with a caught-and-bowled to dismiss Marcus Gardner for 14, and J Jerish picked up the wicket of Sam Hilton. However, Tom Howell provided crucial stability for MOD Abbeywood, finishing unbeaten on 34 off 36 deliveries to shepherd his side to 106/6 from their allotted 16 overs.
Chasing 107 for victory, Stoke Gifford found it tough going against a remarkably tight visiting attack. George Rowen set the tone early with the ball, delivering a superb three-over spell of 2-4, including a maiden. Philip Duncan broke through to bowl Shabir Azizi for 8—a score that ultimately proved to be Stoke Gifford's highest individual contribution of the night.
Wickets fell at regular intervals as the run chase faltered. Alex Thompson Juan was run out for 1, and Robbie Seward was bowled by Rowen without scoring as Stoke Gifford slipped to 19/4. Tom Howell brought his strong form into the attack, conceding just three runs from three overs and taking a wicket, while Sam Hilton also claimed a victim as the score slid to 31/6.
Christian Brennan (7) and Jamie Franks (3) attempted to dig in, while J Jerish provided a bright moment late on by hitting the only six of the innings in his quickfire 6. However, Ramsay Davis (2-8) and Baz Underwood (2-12) wrapped up the tail, bowling Stoke Gifford out for 55 in 13.4 overs. Extras proved to be the top scorer in the innings with 18.
While the result did not go Stoke Gifford's way, Thompson Juan’s impressive three-wicket burst provided a clear positive from an entertaining evening at the ground.