Nailsea First team got off to a fine start to the season last weekend with a comfortable 153 run home win against Portishead Seconds.

Thanks to Herculean efforts from the ground team over the last few, dry days, the Nailsea openers of Josh Dann and Pete Hardcastle, got Nailsea off to a solid start, on a decent pitch.

The pair added 60 before Dann fell for a hard hitting 29. With Rob Lange joining Hardcastle, the Nailsea innings took shape.

A slow outfield didn’t affect Hardcastle as he punished anything pitched up to amass a fine 122, an innings containing no less than 11 maximums.

Having finished the 2023 season with an unbeaten 124 not out, Pete joins a very small club of Nailsea players scoring consecutive tons!

Lange added 32, and their partnership of 140 was always taking the game away from the visitors.

With Steve Spencer (17) and Jackie Smith (21) making useful contributions, Nailsea closed on a commanding 257 for 6.

In reply, Smith with 2-28, took early wickets from which Portishead struggled to recover.

Andy O’Connor (24) and Henry Isack (27) were the only batters to make much progress, as the experienced Nailsea attack took wickets at regular intervals.

Steve Lester, 1-17, Ian Sherreard, 2-20 and Steve Spencer, with 3-17, concluded proceedings along with a couple of run outs, as Portishead were dismissed for 104 to make Nailsea 153 run winners.

Nailsea Seconds had a tough day against Oldfield Park at The Grove, as OP made 156 for 6 from their 40 overs.

A miserly opening eight over spell from Adrian Procter yielded one wicket for just five runs and fellow opening bowler Anthony Webb took one for 40 from his allocation.

Young Nethula Herath bowled well taking one for 24 and with Alan Rogerson, 1-15, Gary Checketts 1–19 and skipper Gary Phippen 1-31 all chipping in, and at the halfway mark Nailsea were full of confidence.

Unfortunately, with only Gary Checketts with 34 reaching double figures and half a dozen ducks, Nailsea could only reach a disappointing 53 all out.

Nailsea Firsts travel to Lodway Seconds next week whilst the Seconds host Frenchay 5ths hoping to seek out that first win.