WEYMOUTH 207-9 (8pts) lost to POOLE TOWN II 274-6 (19pts) by 67 runs

WEYMOUTH remain in serious danger of relegation after a resounding 67-run loss to a loaded Poole Town Seconds side at Redlands in County Division One.

With both sides scrapping to beat the drop, Weymouth are just four points ahead of them and face a trip to league champions Bere Regis on the final day, while Poole play relegated Wimborne & Colehill Seconds.

The odds appear to be stacked against the Seasiders, just as they were on Saturday as Poole fielded a number of first-team players in a bid to rescue the seconds from demotion.

Poole won the toss and batted first, quickly stamping their authority on the match with some quality batting.

John Fairless (56) and captain Ian Musselwhite (91) put on a staggering 149 for the first wicket until teenager Jack Sapsworth (3-35) made a long-awaited breakthrough by removing both openers as Poole reached 155-2.

But the onslaught continued as Tom Robinson (75) struck eight fours and four sixes in 40-ball innings.

Although Weymouth fought back, with Graham Puckett (2-42) ousting Robinson and Cube Whyte (1-52) also picking up a wicket, Poole made a mammoth 274-6, leaving the hosts with a chase above a run per ball.

When the Seasiders lost Tom England (0) to Joseph Palmer (3-25) early in their innings, Dean Janaway (35) and Kieron Womble (32) put on 55 for the second wicket until Palmer removed the latter.

Weymouth’s middle order all made starts, with Jonny Armfield (18), Harry Mitchell (32) and Paul Payne (18) amongst the runs.

But Fairless (3-38) dismissed Janaway, Mitchell and Payne to put Poole in the box seat at 168-8.

Late hitting from Whyte (30no) helped Weymouth over 200, but they were well beaten by a strong visiting side.

Speaking to Echosport after the game, stand-in skipper Payne said Poole batted “exceptionally well”.

“They batted exceptionally well, I don’t think we did a lot wrong. It sounds strange when you’ve gone for 270. We tried everything but unfortunately there wasn’t much we could do.

“I was very happy with the bowlers, the way they stuck at it and the way the fielders stuck at it. Actually, to keep them to 270 was probably very respectable.

“With a reasonably strong batting line-up we gave it a good go but unfortunately it is another loss and it is going to go down to the final game.

“We’ve got to go to Bere Regis with the same attitude we’ve had in the last two weeks and see what we can get out of it. We want to stay in this division and don’t want to go down.”

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