By Eric Woodmason

FROCESTER moved another step nearer a third Premier One title, with a convincing 96 run victory over Clevedon on Saturday.

With Nick Trainor winning the toss again, Frocester batted first and produced another solid batting performance with Qureshi and Gegg adding 38 for the first wicket, when Qureshi was caught behind for 22.

Gegg and Muchall then added 73 for the second-wicket with Gegg falling for 40, including only four boundaries, indicating the professionalism of the Frocester approach.

The middle-order failed to fire, but Muchall nursed his team towards a defendable total. Eventually, he received support from Trainor, batting at seven.

They added 64 for the sixth-wicket, taking the total to 219 when Muchall was caught at square leg for a match-winning innings of 79. Trainor finished unbeaten on 43 as Frocester reached a total of 232-7 from 50 overs.

The Clevedon innings began as a procession with Ross Martin taking three wickets, Paul Muchall two and Andrew Hazeldine capturing one-wicket, reducing Clevedon to 31 for six.

However, Clevedon have the ideal man for such a situation: not for the first time, Sri Lankan professional, Andy Solomons, made hay in a lost cause. Batting at six, he smashed nine fours and four sixes in an innings of 80, that just started to threaten Frocester’s dominant position.

With skipper Matt Carpenter, he added 51 for the eight-wicket, taking the total to 131-9, when the old firm of ‘caught Wand bowled Trainor’ saw the end of Solomons. Clevedon were dismissed shortly after for 136 in only 31 overs.

Frocester remain 14 points clear of Bath at the top of the table, with bottom of the table, Taunton Vale, the visitors to Pounds Close next Saturday.

On Sunday, in promises to be an epic encounter, with Tunbridge Wells making the long trip to Pounds Close for the quarter-final of the National Club T20 KO, 2pm start. The winner will go through to finals day at The County Ground, Derby, on Tuesday, September 6.