BOND TIMBER CORNWALL CRICKET LEAGUE

WERRINGTON and Callington were both beaten on the opening day of the ECB Cornwall Premier League season yesterday.

The opening four weeks of the season in the Premier T20 Kernow Crash saw both teams play a solitary double-header apiece, and it showed as they were comfortably beaten.

Werrington actually got off to a decent start at St Austell in reaching 40-2, but a remarkable spell of off-spin bowling from Gary Bone turned the match on its head.

Bowling unchanged, he took 6-14 from ten overs as Werrington slipped to 55-8.

Skipper Nick Lawson and Mark Taskis then added 39 to ensure a sense of respectability, Lawson hitting two fours and three sixes in his 32.

The last pair of Taskis (10no) and Sam Hockin (3) got the score to 104.

Knowing run-rate was never going to be an issue, the Saints could afford to take their time and got home in the 33rd over thanks to Curtis Dalby (39no), Connor Cooke (17) and Alex Bone (25no).

Ben Smeeth and Taskis were the wicket takers.

Callington put in a better performance at Helston but were still undone by seven wickets.

Cally chose to bat at Beacon Parc and soon lost skipper Luke Brenton, lbw to Niran Wijewardene for a single.

South African Liam Lindsay departed for just one before stalwarts Aidan Libby (34) and Joe White (20) patiently rebuilt the innings.

However when White departed at 62, they slipped to 85-5.

Somerset’s Roelof van der Merwe hung around for a while, but when he was lbw for 38 from 46 deliveries, they were struggling at 136-7.

Just 19 more came from the rest as they were dismissed for 155.

Helston then knocked off the runs with no trouble.

Although Billy Taylor went early for a single, Dan Jenkin and Ross Leathley added 78.

Leathley went at 98 and Jenkin at 123 for 37 and 63 respectively, but Wijewardene smacked two fours and four maximums in his unbeaten 42 as more than 18 overs were unused.

Ben Ellis took 2-31 from his ten overs while van der Merwe's went wicketless in his ten-over spell, conceding just 32.

Helston are the visitors to Werrington this Saturday while Callington’s first assignment at Moores Park is against Hayle.

See this week’s paper for more from Saturday’s Cornwall Cricket League programme.