WEYMOUTH 198-7 (7pts) lost to STALBRIDGE 199-6 (18pts) by 4 wickets

WEYMOUTH were left thinking what might have been following a four-wicket loss at Stalbridge in their penultimate Dorset Premier League outing of the summer.

After an unbroken 88-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Simon Browne (81no) and Alex Mortimore (31no), the Seasiders got to 198-7 in 50 overs batting first.

But 96 from the bat of Stalbridge’s Stuart Sweatman put paid to any hopes the visitors had of recording just their second victory of the season.

However, they didn’t help themselves by dropping Sweatman on no fewer than four occasions, the first off the third ball of the innings when the home batsman was still on nought.

“If we had taken our chances it probably would have been a different result, but that has been the story of our season,” said Weymouth all-rounder Browne.

“The first drop wasn’t a particularly difficult catch and the third one should have been a regulation take behind the stumps by the wicket-keeper.

“If we had got Sweatman out early then we would have been confident of defending 198.”

Joe James did take three Stalbridge wickets and Browne, John Ryan and Graham Puckett chipped in with the others, but it was all too little, too late.

Earlier in the day, there had been a few wry smiles on the faces of the Weymouth players when their total reached 46 – that was what they had been bowled out for by Stalbridge at Redlands earlier in the campaign.

Their scoring rate on Saturday was very slow and it was only Browne and Mortimore’s late blast that propelled them towards 200.

The Seasiders will end a dismal summer this weekend when they travel to Wimborne & Colehill.

  • Elsewhere, Martinstown suffered a seven-wicket defeat at home to Poole.